On Saturday my family is adopting Mae. She is a cutie. Our family cannot “afford” a dog, but we also didn’t want to let the kids grow up and never have one. We’ve been saying we couldn’t “afford” one for the past 8 years. I know it is an expense, but I think it will be worth it for the family.
Tell me all of your tips & secrets & stories.
- How did you house train your dog?
- Where does your dog sleep?
- What does your dog eat?
- What are your favorite products?
- Do you have insurance?
- Do you have that PetSmart Care plan?
- When do you leave your puppy @ home? Where?
Tell me everything you can!
{ 29 comments }
We adopted adult rescue dogs; we feed them Rachael Raye Nutrish kibble, with BilJac refrigerated for a treat, and rawhide chews. No table scraps as a rule, though we do give them the occasional bit of cooked chicken or beef. And when I'm trimming a roast, I'll let them have the fat.
Housetraining means spending a lot of time observing the pup. Watch for signs that she needs to go, such as sniffing around, especially areas where she has had accidents. When she indicates that she needs to go, take her to the door, say, "Mae need OUT??" and take her outside. When she eliminates, praise her! "Good pee outside!" or "Good poop outside!" and give her a treat. Always praise, but don't give a treat every time. Some people mount a bell at nose level and train the dog to ring the bell to go out. Pick up her paw and ring the bell, say, "Mae want OUT?" and take her out.
Expect to clean up accidents, nonetheless.
Crate training is a great way to go – look it up. Wild canines have dens, so the crate is like a den to the dog. it's not a jail cell. If you have to leave the house for several hours, put the pup in the crate with a chew toy. She'll be content. When you get home, it's time for Mae OUT?.
The Furminator is an expensive but very effective comb for reducing shedding – it combs out the undercoat and loose hairs.
PetSmart has a very good dog training course that focuses on getting the dog to behave around other dogs, and to walk without pulling on the lead. It's all reward-based. You never give a treat just to give a treat. The pup always has to earn it. Sit, stay, lie down, etc. The kids should be in on it, because consistency is key.
The dogs sleep wherever. We don't have fine furniture, so I'm okay with them on the sofa. they do like their "cush" though – a favorite spot is the dirty laundry pile at the end of the hall. :-)
Very cool. And since it has that Lab in it, she will be a great dog. I love labs. Ours died in January. We were at PetSmart this past weekend with our dog that we inherited from mother when she passed away (a week before our dog Casey) and my wife got very emotional because she was holding a black lab puppy that reminded her of ours. It was tough.
Ok, as for the tips.
Cage train. People think it's mean, but it's not. It works. Dogs will not pee or crap where they sleep. As time goes by, as you let her out of the cage, immediately bring her outside to go to the bathroom and she'll get used to it.
When our lab was young, we made her sleep in the cage at night. Again, it's just part of the training. When she gets older, where she sleeps will be up to you. If you let her on the furniture, that's where she'll want to sleep.
Feed the dog dry food. Canned is cheaper, but it isn't healthy.
Favorite product: BioSpot or Zodiak flea and tick prevention. Again, these products will be a little more expensive, but they are awesome. It's a treatment you apply by putting on them near their neck. Application is once a month.
I don't have insurance, but I do have the PetSmart Care Plan (good to see you know the difference because some people don't). Your dog is a puppy, so you can probably go with the least expensive option. It's a good plan and worth the expense.
Also, you have a dog that is part Lab. They don't fully "grow up" until they are nearly 3 years old. So when she's 2 and still acting like a 6 month old puppy, don't be alarmed or concerned. That's how they are. If you're firm and consistent in your training, it will work itself out and you'll have a dog that will heed your every command.
Good luck!
A lot of crate-training fans here. :-)
It's important to understand canine behavior. They are pack animals. You are the Alpha Male and the rest of the family are pack members. Mae will submit to you by rolling over and showing her tummy. (It's not going to rub itself, you know…) Encourage the kids to roll her over and rub her belly, too. She will then understand that they are "the boss of her."
Teach her to not be food-aggressive by taking her food away while she is eating every so often. If she growls, give her a loud "EHH-EHH! BAD GROWL, MAE!" and roll her over. (Don't rub her tummy; you're teaching her her place in the pack.) The kids need to be able to do this, too.
A lot of crate-training fans here. :-)
It's important to understand canine behavior. They are pack animals. You are the Alpha Male and the rest of the family are pack members. Mae will submit to you by rolling over and showing her tummy. (It's not going to rub itself, you know…) Encourage the kids to roll her over and rub her belly, too. She will then understand that they are "the boss of her."
Teach her to not be food-aggressive by taking her food away while she is eating every so often. If she growls, give her a loud "EHH-EHH! BAD GROWL, MAE!" and roll her over. (Don't rub her tummy; you're teaching her her place in the pack.) The kids need to be able to do this, too.
Adult dogs can be fed once or twice a day but puppies need to be fed 3-4 times a day. Feed them canned food is digestively healthier than dry food even as adults. Also give dog biscuits to clean their teeth. When they are little take them out every hour and give them a treat everytime they go outside. When you cannot take them out cage train them just until they are house broken. At night or when noone’s home put them in a cage or carrier. They won’t go where they have to lay if they can avoid it. Don’t paper train them You’ll never break them of sniffing out a place to go inside. If you train them right they will stand at the door and beg to be let out when they need to go.
I have a Dominican street dog that I rescued when he was about 4 weeks old. Congrats on the addition to the family. I know I don’t know what I would do without Artemis.
#1: Crate train. They love the crate because it is safe, constant, and their den. I housetrained my dog using the crate. When I leave, my dog (Artemis) knows to go into the crate and even opens the door. Artemis slept in it during the night at first when housetraining. I never punished Artemis for making mistakes by rubbing his nose in it or anything like that. I would yell, “No!” Then grap the leash and take him outside. Soon he got the idea. Now if he needs to go and it isn’t his regular scheduled time he whines at me and runs to the door, letting me know he has to go.
#2 Walk or run with your dog at least one hour a day. I break it up with twenty minutes in the morning for bathroom, energy removal, etc. Then I do a nice long walk/run in the afternoon that he LOVES because he runs with me and gets all the energy.
#3 I only give food and water after the walks/runs because then Artemis has earned it. It does stay out until he is done and through the night though.
#4 I feed Artemis Science Diet. He is a little sensitive and so far this has been good for him. I am bad in that I give my dog table scraps sometimes. He loves pineapple, papaya, carrots, and weirdly enough cabbage.
#5 I don’t let Artemis sleep in my bed. He does sleep in my room. He has his bed that he moves around my bedroom. Some mornings I wake up and his bed is right next to mine and where I place my feet.
#6 I don’t have doggy insurance, but maybe if I can afford it I will get it when I am in the States. In the Dominican Republic, the way I treat my dog is a little weird and very American.
#7 I totally agree with what someone above said about socializing your dog, especially when he is a puppy. Start early and it is so much easier for when they greet other dogs and isn’t so big because in the beginning they will yank on the leash and bark. At first it seems cute, “Aww they want to make friends.” but when they are larger it isn’t cute anymore and can come across as threatening and it hurts your arm.
#8 Make sure your kids and everyone in your house treats him the same. Same rules, same behavior plan. Teach everyone to greet people first then call your puppy to you. Don’t allow him to jump on people. I taught my pup with a leash and the command to sit. Now when Artemis meets a new person he wags and runs around people and when they ignore him and keep talking to me then he sits and waits to be pet. I’m still working on after they sit down, because my pup has a fetish with feet and thinks that they are made to scratch his back. (Yeah, I taught him that unfortunately and now I have to break him of it.)
I know your new pup will get so much love and bring so much love to your family. Sorry, I wrote so much. I do suggest reading Cesar the Dog Whisperer’s stuff. It helps and he has a website that has tips on it too.
We have 5 dogs.. 4 are adopted and 1 (our 2 lb chihuahua) is a rescue.
We lived in a 2 bed APARTMENT with the 4 dogs for a while and we definately did crate training.
Our key words are “kennel up” to get in the crate and “hurry up” to eliminate. Maybe we are too macho to say “make poopoo” or “go peepee” (we also have a 2 yr old human..sooo)
When they were puppies..constant supervision. They love to chew..they get bored..lonely..hungry..etc. Watch out for your baseboards..moldings..cabinets. (One dog ate wood as a puppy and had bloody diarrhea..nasty.)
Teeth will find them. Take MANY trips outside for exercise..if not you’ll have “one of those dogs” who goes into psycho dog mode as soon as they are let out of the kennel.
As for food..we either feed kibbles and bits or pedigree. We always use a COUPON! We love our dogs but aren’t gonna make the kids starve by buying designer food.
We don’t feed scraps..and we don’t overfeed. Stainless steel bowls are used..easier to keep clean and unbreakable/unchewable.
Safe toys that can’t be eaten…trial and error here.
Our big 4 now live outside (we bought a house when we were expecting the 1st kid) and they each have a dog house..the chihuahua has a bed in the bathroom with a blanket. We always have the same person (my dad) come over to feed the dogs if we are gone for an extended period of time. But when they were puppies…most went with us. Cut down on the mess and anxiety. Best wishes with Mae…once you survive puppyhood…it’s GREAT :)
Can't open source a puppy. Find a book or trainer you like and stick with it. Consistency is the number one determinant of success. Get the whole family on board. Come up with a list of what is and isn't allowed and post it where you can all see.
I use to work in the pet industry and would have numerous couples find out the other one didn't have the same list of rules as they were explaining to me how they could not get their dog to follow rule x, y and z.
My wife and I love our Banfield Wellness Plan (petsmart care plan in some states). I have my preferences on training, etc but it is really important to focus on something you can all agree on and enforce.
Oh yeah…has Mae already been spayed? Not sure how old she is by looking at the picture. Our dogs were so wild after the surgery we were afraid they would hurt themselves. Puppies + recovery + over stimulation is rough! :)
Never ever hit your dog. Your dog is more likely to bite someone when they fear people. Also big dogs and little kids are a dangerous mix. Kids are quick, move threateningly and spiratically and are clumsy. They are also at face level which makes bites more dangerous. My mom used to let my two year old nephew play with her well trained white shepherd. The kid would climb all over her pull her ears, hit her. And anytime the dog would even growl my mom would yell at her. It’s wrong to expect a dog to take that kind of abuse. Better to take the child away from the dog
Never ever hit your dog. Your dog is more likely to bite someone when they fear people. Also big dogs and little kids are a dangerous mix. Kids are quick, move threateningly and spiratically and are clumsy. They are also at face level which makes bites more dangerous. My mom used to let my two year old nephew play with her well trained white shepherd. The kid would hover all over and around play with her ears and face, hit her fall on her, sit on her And anytime the dog would even growl my mom would yell at her. It’s wrong to expect a dog to take that kind of abuse. Best to keep little children away from big dogs.
I have a lot of suggestions, but here are a few of the key ones:
1) Crate train your puppy or you may not be a happy camper if you don't!!
2) To prevent your puppy from being bored, play with her; don't play with her mouth as encourages biting, but throw a ball to her, run in the yard with her, take her on walks(she is not to be in front pulling:) ) Get a Caesar Milan book on training…he will explain this.
3) Don't start feeding human food…first of all there are a lot of human foods that can kill your puppy: grapes, raisins, chocolate, garlic and onions not great either, but also this will encourage begging and the puppy may not want to eat their own food.
4) Find a great vet…they will be a plethora of information for you…I recommend ones that are AAHA(American Animal Hospital Association) accredited and found this one:http://www.vetcenterofbuckhead.com/
5) It wouldn't hurt to start puppy obedience classes…they are usually offered at community centers, PetSmart, or through dog trainers.
Hmm, can't think right now what else to tell you, but if you have questions, message me and I will give you my email and home#, in case you need some help.
I've grown up with Goldens and they are the best dogs ever! Ours, Lily, is now 5 and she still acts like a puppy. Needless, to say- they are very playful, loveable, people dogs. They do not like to be left outside alone for a long time, they will become depressed and you will see negative behaviors. They are breed to be a part of a family and with people a lot.
I have found Goldens very quick to train (we used the crate method for about 2 weeks and then no more accidents!) and as for "tricks" and instructions like "No" "Fetch" and "Down" it was simple repetition and praise. They LOVE to play fetch with balls (hence the retriever name) and love to go on daily walks.
It looks like your dog is part poodle so she shouldn't shed as much as a full Golden but we have fell in love with the Furminator. It is pricey but so worth it!
Lily sleeps on a dog bed on the floor in our room. We have trained her to not jump up on any people furniture unless we ask her to. She eats a natural lamb and rice dog food. Goldens typically have sensitive skin and we have found lamb and rice the best fit for her.
Lily has free range in the house while we are gone. We started as a puppy leaving her in her crate, then putting her in the laundry room, then gating off the upstairs, then giving her the whole house. It was a gradual process but now she is perfect while we are away.
Hope all this helps and congratulations on your new furbaby!
Shaun
#1 get a kennel its will help so so much with training and my dog 80lb German Shepard who we got a 8 weeks now thinks it is his house … get one with a adjustable slide so as it grows it will grow with it! they dont go to the bathroom in it bc it there house no accidents!
#2 Kong bright red weird looking thing(toy) we use them as a toy and also as a feeding tool the goal for your puppy is to look cute and to tire them out and keep there mind busy we stuff the long with part of our dogs food and let him flip it over …. till the food comes out keeps him thinking and also busy
#3 If you ever going to take the dog in the car start now! Getting gas, grocery shopping …. get him used too the windshield wipers and horn lol
#4 Get it near other dogs as much as possible! it will help hugein socializeing it. Do it all you can!
Sorry for the book I see you travel just as much as i do and these things will help you not be so concerned and help the kids and mrs to have a great time! blessing ej ejswanson.org
One of my favorite subjects! I have an adopted doggie! They are the best. I house trained my dog with the crate system. My Sindey sleeps in my bedroom on a designated spot on the floor and sometimes at the foot of the bed. He eats Innova Evo (preferred) Iams (when money is tight or I can't make a special trip) and McDonald's Chicken nuggets (sometimes). He came from the rescue with his preferred food. My dogs absolute favorite products are his harness. Waggin' Train Natural Chicken Jerky Tenders Dog Treats, and pupperonis. I do not have insurance. BUT I do have a separate account that I contribute to monthly to take care of his expenses. I do not have the petsmart care plan. Because Sidney is 3 or 4 and I got him a year ago, I leave him loose in the house when I go to work. I am not sure I would do that to a new dog or a puppy. Congrats to the King family! So much love from pets!
One of my favorite subjects! I have an adopted doggie! They are the best. I house trained my dog with the crate system. My Sindey sleeps in my bedroom on a designated spot on the floor and sometimes at the foot of the bed. He eats Innova Evo (preferred) Iams (when money is tight or I can't make a special trip) and McDonald's Chicken nuggets (sometimes). He came from the rescue with his preferred food. My dogs absolute favorite products are his harness. Waggin' Train Natural Chicken Jerky Tenders Dog Treats, and pupperonis. I do not have insurance. BUT I do have a separate account that I contribute to monthly to take care of his expenses. I do not have the petsmart care plan. Because Sidney is 3 or 4 and I got him a year ago, I leave him loose in the house when I go to work. I am not sure I would do that to a new dog or a puppy. Congrats to the King family! So much love from pets!
House break the dog using a Crate. As soon as the dog is out of the crate take it outside to eliminate. Praise the dog for doing its business and play with it for 5 minutes. This will teach the dog that it is good to go outside to eliminate.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER rub a dogs nose in its urine or feces if the dog has an accident. They won't understand. Clean it up quickly and use a good pet odor eliminator. DO NOT USE AMMONIA based products. Dogs can't tell the difference between cleaner and urine so they will continue to use that area of the carpet.
It takes a lot of patience, but if you are consistent then she should be housebroken in a matter of a few weeks. (There will be some regression…just like with kids…so keep at it!)
Very cool. And since it has that Lab in it, she will be a great dog. I love labs. Ours died in January. We were at PetSmart this past weekend with our dog that we inherited from mother when she passed away (a week before our dog Casey) and my wife got very emotional because she was holding a black lab puppy that reminded her of ours. It was tough.
Ok, as for the tips.
Cage train. People think it's mean, but it's not. It works. Dogs will not pee or crap where they sleep. As time goes by, as you let her out of the cage, immediately bring her outside to go to the bathroom and she'll get used to it.
When our lab was young, we made her sleep in the cage at night. Again, it's just part of the training. When she gets older, where she sleeps will be up to you. If you let her on the furniture, that's where she'll want to sleep.
Feed the dog dry food. Canned is cheaper, but it isn't healthy.
Favorite product: BioSpot or Zodiak flea and tick prevention. Again, these products will be a little more expensive, but they are awesome. It's a treatment you apply by putting on them near their neck. Application is once a month.
I don't have insurance, but I do have the PetSmart Care Plan (good to see you know the difference because some people don't). Your dog is a puppy, so you can probably go with the least expensive option. It's a good plan and worth the expense.
Also, you have a dog that is part Lab. They don't fully "grow up" until they are nearly 3 years old. So when she's 2 and still acting like a 6 month old puppy, don't be alarmed or concerned. That's how they are. If you're firm and consistent in your training, it will work itself out and you'll have a dog that will heed your every command.
Good luck!
When we were training out Golden Retriever puppy, we tied bells to the door knob (think Christmas neclace), and every time we took him out, we took his paw and hit the bells. He quickly learned that when he needed to go out, he hit the bells, so no matter where we were in the house we knew he needed to go out.
I dont mind so long as the person gets the email, this is vitally important…
Oh, I can go on and on about my puppy, Chili Dawg! I blog about him often: check it out on Funkidivagirl.com and click on category Chili Dawg…yes, he has his own category on my blog and he even has a Facebook Fan Page (search Chili Dawg). Yup, I'm crazy about him!
I trained my pup with a "Tell Bell" that I bought from Amazon. I still have to blog about that. He rings a bell to go outside! We don't have a fenced yard, but big enough. We take him out on a leash and clean it up right away with poop bags (Target is cheaper than PetSmart), which I love. We have a small step trash can outside and empty it once a week with the trash collection. With a new pup, watch him like a hawk! Until they are trained they will pee and poop anywhere. Be ready to take him outside in a flash. I don't think paper training is a good idea, if you can avoid it. You are only training them to go in the house. We got our puppy last year at this same time and it was a good time of year to train them outside.
Our pup sleeps in a crate in my son's room.
Our pup eats Innova dog food. I did tons of research. It's organic and has no fillers. I buy my food from Inman PetWorks in Inman Park. The owner is the best and answers all my questions. Do not buy dog food from the grocery store. The same for snacks. Buy your pup quality food and snacks and they will stay healthy and have "good poop."
With a new puppy, my favorite product is Nature's Miracle which gets up "accident" smells. There will be some. It's MUCH cheaper at Whole Foods than at Petco/PetSmart. And baby gates to keep them out of the areas that you don't want them in. Go to Babies R Us for the best selection. We have gates (still) up at our kids' rooms because there are things in there that he would eat (toys, etc) that are dangerous.
We do have Pet Insurance. PetPlan. It gives me piece of mind.
Nope, don't have PetSmart Plan. Is that for the Vet? Our pup goes to Village Vets in Decatur and I highly recommend them. Puppies are expensive at first for all the shots, but then it's only once a year after that.
We leave our puppy in a bigger crate when we leave home, more like a playpen with a top. We won't leave him out in the house…he would destroy it. That being said, we don't leave him for more than 4 hours at a time, even now. I feel too guilty. We take him to daycare if I am going to be gone all day and he loves it.
Always check Target first for pet toys and supplies before PetSmart, Petco. I find that those places are sometimes DOUBLE the price. In fact I rarely go there….I shop at Target and Inman Park Pet Works. Glamour Paws is good too, but more for when you are buying something "special."
Cesar Milan's books are good to read. Oh, we took our pup to training class at 4 months of age and it was helpful and fun.
Puppies are expensive! Get your mind right now. Just put it in the budget: vet bills, grooming, food and snacks, monthly medicine for tick and heartworm prevention. BUT, I love my dog to pieces and so do my kids.
Crate/kennel is a must. It gives you peace of mind when you are out, helps in house breaking, and —best of all— the dog likes it because it feels den-like and gives him/her personal space. Our dogs eat in their kennels and usually sleep there too. The unfortunate part is that a dog kennel (or three in our case) becomes part of your decor: a small price to pay for the companionship and fun. Congratulations!
Big Ideas:
1. Crate Train your Puppy. It'll make you love your pup a lot more and gives them a place they won't pee all over.
2. Buying them toys is much cheaper (and less annoying) than repairing chewed up carpet, furtiture, etc.
3. Anytime the dog misbehaves, it's your fault. Training a dog is easy, training the dog's owners is much more difficult. Walking your dog a lot will take the edge off of a LOT of behavior problems.
Details:
- Our dog sleeps in our living room. We crated him for a long time until he could stand to be out of his crate without peeing all over the place and getting into our trash. Also, he would run into our bedroom early in the morning and lick our faces to wake us up and play. It's cute the first 3 times, then it's torture.
- Make sure your dog is social. Take them to church. Take her to VBS. Take her with you to go get ice cream. Making sure the dog is OK with strangers is important. (A dog is an AWESOME conversation started. More people will talk to you than ever before. If you let HIM, God will use Mae for kingdom work).
-I don't know how old MAE is, but our dog can be at home by himself for about 9 or 10 hours max before he's guaranteed to pee or poop on the carpet. So leaving your dog at home is pretty much all about how long they can handle it.
Big Ideas:
1. Crate Train your Puppy. It'll make you love your pup a lot more and gives them a place they won't pee all over.
2. Buying them toys is much cheaper (and less annoying) than repairing chewed up carpet, furtiture, etc.
3. Anytime the dog misbehaves, it's your fault. Training a dog is easy, training the dog's owners is much more difficult. Walking your dog a lot will take the edge off of a LOT of behavior problems.
Details:
- Our dog sleeps in our living room. We crated him for a long time until he could stand to be out of his crate without peeing all over the place and getting into our trash. Also, he would run into our bedroom early in the morning and lick our faces to wake us up and play. It's cute the first 3 times, then it's torture.
- Make sure your dog is social. Take them to church. Take her to VBS. Take her with you to go get ice cream. Making sure the dog is OK with strangers is important. (A dog is an AWESOME conversation started. More people will talk to you than ever before. If you let HIM, God will use Mae for kingdom work).
-I don't know how old MAE is, but our dog can be at home by himself for about 9 or 10 hours max before he's guaranteed to pee or poop on the carpet. So leaving your dog at home is pretty much all about how long they can handle it.
Can't open source a puppy. Find a book or trainer you like and stick with it. Consistency is the number one determinant of success. Get the whole family on board. Come up with a list of what is and isn't allowed and post it where you can all see.
I use to work in the pet industry and would have numerous couples find out the other one didn't have the same list of rules as they were explaining to me how they could not get their dog to follow rule x, y and z.
My wife and I love our Banfield Wellness Plan (petsmart care plan in some states). I have my preferences on training, etc but it is really important to focus on something you can all agree on and enforce.
Awww! So happy for you…she is a cutie! You already received some real good advice so far. I have had numerous dogs, almost all from puppies. A few things I would add (or reiterate…..
1) Crating is so important when potty training. As soon as you let her out of the crate, take her outside. Also, as soon as you feed her, take her outside. Be sure there is not a lot of room in the crate or she will go potty in the crate if she can get away from it. If the crate is big because you want to buy a size that will accommodate her through the years, put a milk crate or something similar in it to make it smaller while she is being potty trained.
2) When you take her outside, take her to a spot she previously went potty. Dogs tend to "go" easier when directed to the same location they previously used.
3) I have also found Wee-Wee pads to be a life saver. If she is not already potty trained she will have accidents in the house. When she urinates in the house, put some on the Wee Wee pad and then keep that in the room she is in, so if she must go and she is not outside, she will be drawn to use the Wee Wee pad.
4) One more thing that I learned the hard way is not to give dogs bones. Whether they are from pork, chicken or beef, they can splinter or become lodged in the dog's body. Better to stay with the chew toys like they sell in the Pet Store, Target or Walmart. Good luck with the training. You're whole family will be blessed with the unconditional love the family dog provides!
Shaun! How wonderful for your family! I grew up with dogs… have ALWAYS had dogs, and have 2 dogs now. We have a purebred Lab (who, ironically enough, turns 2 years old today).
In the "learn from my mistakes" file, my One Big Suggestion: go with the crate training. We did not do this, and have suffered from it. When you teach a dog YOUNG, they come to view the crate as their "indoor dog house" (rather than a cage, as we humans tend to view it). Our dogs roam the house freely… the 2 year old purebred Lab is VERY destructive (although it has gotten better). The rescue dog, who is about 7 (she is a Lab/Spaniel mix) is not destructive.
The KONG toys are really wonderful for keeping them busy when you are gone during the day… you can stuff them with KONG treats, beef jerky, peanut butter, whatever. I think whoever invented them deserves the Nobel Prize. :)
As far as sleeping, one of our dogs (the big, rambunctious one of COURSE) sleeps with us… the other (docile sweet) one, sleeps near the front door.
They are EXCELLENT protectors of the home, and of the children.
As far as insurance, we've never had pet insurance. As I mentioned, I've had dogs my whole life, and have never had any catastrophic medical bills…. I guess it's a personal choice thing.
So…. relax… have FUN with Mae. She is precious and you, your wife and your kids will LOVE having a dog! She will become a part of your family before you know it!
…one more thing… most people know that chocolate is bad for dog, but GRAPES and RAISINS are extremely toxic for dogs. They can cause renal failure. Never, under any circumstances feed grapes or raisins to a dog.
OK. Enough advice. Go have fun with Mae. And happy Mothers Day to your wife! :)
Awww . . . . what a cutie pie.
* How did you house train your dog?
Through trial and effort!!! Taking the dog for walks pretty close after they ate dinner. Rewarding through praise or treats when they use the bathroom (to this day when they use the bathroom I say good boy/girl and they are 3 and 5 respectively)
* Where does your dog sleep?
The yorkie sleeps in the bed with us (don't start this unless you plan to keep this up, lol). The pitbull sleeps in her own bed right on the landing of the staircase (she snores and my husband can't take it/she used to sleep in the bed with me before hubby came along).
* What does your dog eat?
My dogs and my cat eat Nutro Natural Choice brand. It's only available at pet stores. They seem to like it. I don't given them wet/soft food. My yorkie likes with my wet his food with water (but that's because he's spoiled, it's completely unnecessary).
* What are your favorite products?
Nylabone (excellent chew bone that lasts forever), Kong brand peanut butter in a can, regular tennis balls and rubber tires
* Do you have insurance?
No.
* Do you have that PetSmart Care plan?
I had it last year, but it gets so expensive with all the additional things you pay for (pain meds after any procedure they are put under, antibiotics, etc).
* When do you leave your puppy @ home? Where?
They roam the house and pretty much sleep all day long where ever they lay their heads.