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Just picked up my birddog
- Thread starter DDA2011
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Codger how do you recommend to show him that I am pack leader? After only 4 days he sits and stays on command without treats.but he absolutely refuses to walk on a leash I usually end up half dragging him. Also my grandfather has paintings hanging on the wall of his bedroom that are very similar to that painting. We are from Waynesboro, Georgia the self proclaimed bird dog Capitol of the world! Ha
Nice to meet ya Tucker! Say hey to Lady & Duke!
They are beautiful dogs and I am happy to join the gsp family. So far I am extremely impressed by the breed. We have always had labs and while great dogs like a typical guy I always want more lol.
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Like I said before, Pro Plan is an OK food, think of it as the healthiest of fast food choices, not gonna be something that an athelete would need to maintain fitness, but might be fine for desk jocky.
First things first, there is no one best food for all dogs, its about what's best for your dog.. It may not be Blue Buffalo or Orijen or Spring Naturals. It may well be a middle of the road premium food.
Next you will need to realistically assess what your intended activity level for this dog will be. A ranch dog actively herding or running along side the truck all day I going to require much different food than an indoor dog going to the park twice a week.
The first category is working dogs, K9 officers, cattle dogs, agility, field trials, even a regular jogging partner. Next would be high energy dogs but not expending it, herding breeds, large terriers, pulling breeds, or just that nutso dog running the neighbors fence all day. Then it goes to lazy breeds and indoor dogs, senior dogs, etc.
Pups are going to need higher protein and fat content due to growth and development. All dog food will have a garanteed analysis on the bag, the first line is Protein % and second is Fat %. For pups I always recommend staying above 25 and 15 respectively, but closer to 28 or 30 protein and 18 fat is better.
Next there is protein source, Chicken is the most common and easist to digest. Common protein sources are chicken, lamb, bison, venison, duck, fish, and then into less common ones like rabbit, kangaroo, turkey.
Then you have to figure out if your dog needs grain free or with grain food.
A bit about grains, good grains are cereal grains; rice, oatmeal, barley. Bad grains: corn, wheat, soy. But, where these grains fall in the ingredient list is impotant too, the label is in order of amount used. Further down the list, the less of it. Look for real meat as the first ingredient, usually followed by a protein meal or second protein source. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, corn isn't bad, but when its the first ingredient, its just a filler.
Find a good local feed store, they will have lots of options that simply aren't available to PetCo, PetSmart, Target, Walmart etc. Many brands supply only independant retailers, which my store is.
Price Vs. Cost: this is where calorie count comes in. A $50 bag of food might send some ino sticker shock, but then they buy the $25 food and it costs them more. Here's why, a higher calorie food will contain more nutrition per cup than a low calorie food, you end up feeding less and your cost per feeding has droppd significantly. A nice bonus of this effect is in clean up, basic biology tells you the less you put in, the less comes out!
So, using my own example, I was feeding Taste of the Wild salmon to my dog. He was doing ok on it (boxer/grey hound mix) and a 30# bag cost me $42.99 and lasted 40 days. He was being fed 3 cups/day and there is roughly 120 cups in that bag. I switched him to NutriSource GF Salmon which costs $49.99/30#. There is also approx. 120 cups per bag. It is a higher calorie content and I only feed him 2 cups/day now, so it lasts me 60 days. I went from $1.08/day to $0.83/day in food costs by going with the higher priced food!
So, this massive wall of text doesn't really answer your question directly, but should help you figure out what will be needed by Tucker. I can make more specific recommendations once I have a bit more info about how Tucker will be raised.
Hope this helps.
-Xander
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Good info, Xander. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Codger_64
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Get him a training harness, or make one. Attach a long lead to the chest ring. Then if he tries to go ahead or left or right, it turns him. Then as he gets used to that (he will tire of being turned and/or dragged) he will learn his place and stay there as you move. Then you are ready to start the heel, sit, stay commands.
Pack leader comes from treating him with affection, but stern rebukes. As a dog pack leader would. When a pup gets too rambunctious, leader will snap or snarl. My version is NO! and ACKKK! Chews or bites? Capture his muzzle in your hand, squeeze firmly and Ackkk! Before long he will get the message.
ETA: Avoid the use of pain in a rebuke unless it is dog-like. Pinching an ear works.
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To follow up with Codgers advice, look for an Easy Walk harness, those are the ones that lead from the chest, they also have a martingale loop at the chest.
-X
-X
Codger_64
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That's the one. :thumbup:
I'll add that he will most likely hate it at first. Only natural. Take it off as soon as you finish a session. He may chew it up if you leave it on him unattended. Soon he will come to associate teh harness with a walk, his most favorite thing. And he will get excited when he sees you approach with it. Then you work on the sit-wait commands to get him in and out. This all transfers later to other outfitting like vests, PFD's etc.
Jake goes nuts when he sees his PFD (Personal Floatation - Dog) in my hand. It means we are going canoeing. His most favorite thing. Or his car harness... means we are going for a ride, also his most favorite thing, or his service animal vest, means we are going to the store or a dog show, his favorite things too.
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I made my own harness based on the pictures of the easy walk. ( a real one is on the way!) he is actually doing much better. I am spending 15-20 min a day on his training and it seems that he is learning very quickly. The hardest part is keeping my mother and girlfriend from spoiling him and letting him do whatever he pleases when I'm not around. Things will be much easier when I go back to school and have him to myself
Codger_64
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This is where, for the first time in my life, I had an advantage. I live alone and there was/is no one to interfere. It is a disadvantage too in that he doesn't get a lot of interaction with other people and animals on a regular basis. Luckily, being a non-aggressive breed, he doesn't display agression, just curiosity. Everyone he meets is interesting.
Several brief sessions with repetition is the ticket. Sometimes it takes minor treats to coax a behavior but soon it becomes routine and treats aren't needed. He does it to please you, not to get something for himself. Oh... and if I forgot to mention it, put down some piddle pads for times when he just has to go and can't wait, or you can't get to him in time. If need be, move them closer to the door each time. He's a pup and you have to expect accidents. Now Jake goes to the far side of the room so I see him in my periprhial vison and huffs. Recently I didn't hear or see him and he brought my coat off the couch, a pretty strong hint.
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Often times with house breaking, the issue is the dog doesn't know how to tell us it needs to go out. Teaching them to alert us is a huge help in house training. My 10 year old will come bug me, lick me, nudge me, even will wake me up at 3am by licking my face if he needs to go out. My 1 year old has finally learned (adopted at 7mos) our routine and can hold it past 6am and alerts us when needs out.
Some people use a bell on a string hung on the back door knob. An excellent reference for house training is a booklet by Karen London, Way To Go! How To House Train A Dog of Any Age. It even has trouble shooting for partial houe training issues.
-X
Some people use a bell on a string hung on the back door knob. An excellent reference for house training is a booklet by Karen London, Way To Go! How To House Train A Dog of Any Age. It even has trouble shooting for partial houe training issues.
-X
Codger_64
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I just looked this up. Available in e-book now as well as ordered online, Barnes & Nobel etc. And it is one of a series by the author, a "Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist". Interesting.
The pup is the right age to learn many things that will serve you both well and differentiate him from a yard kennel kept "dawg". His mind is like a sponge. Like a young child. Don't forget too that unlike a child, he doesn't have hands to explore his world, he will use his nose and his mouth. IMHO, a variety of chew and play toys is important. Even better if they include something educational.
I found a hard rubber ball which has holes in each end. I use it indoors, not as a throw and retrieve toy, but as a "busy time" puzzle. Small treats fit inside and by manipulating the ball with his paws, Jake can access a treat. A cheap hack of this is a plastic coffee can. Jake enjoys carrying it around by the lid lip, then plopping down and worrying the can to defeat the lid and get the treat.
An empty plastic water bottle makes a good make-do fetch toy but beware of the lids comeing off. Another choke/swallow hazard. He came up with this toy. When traveling I take water for him in one or two. Once at a dog show he got thirsty waiting and we had no bowl. He learned to drink straight from the bottle, and when I sat it down empty, he plopped down, grabbed it between his paws and proceeded to make it "crinkle" enjoying the noise. Since then he has anticipated an empty bottle though he does get bored with it quickly now.
We also found "Kong" tennis balls at the local Tractor supply that squeek and are tougher than regular tennis balls. A caution - there are cheap immitations which aren't made as well and the "squeek" can come out presenting a choke/swallow hazard. White rawhide chew rings are good. Some dogs are trained to differentiate toys and fetch the one specified from a storage tote. Jake only specificly knows "ball". But "toy" can mean any of what is current.
Remember that a bored pup, like a bored kid, is a trouble maker. If you don't entertain him, he'll entertain himself and not always in a good way. And too, most people don't want to go to the trouble to take full advantage of their dog's intellegence and other attributes. I've had a lot of dogs over the years that were just "dawgs", or trained for one thing only, like search and rescue (bloodhounds) or hunting. Or just being there in the yard to play with kids and alert when a stranger showed up. Now that I have the inclination, need and opportunity, why not?
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One word of caution on rawhides, I don't recommend them for pups. It is not fully digestable and if given frequently can cause blockage of the bowels. Adult dogs aren't as much of a concern, I usually recommend no more than one a week if the dog goes through them that fast. Some dogs don't eat them quick at all, my pup Weber has had one that my other dog Radar had burried a long time ago, it is still going strong, so I haven't worried about it.
Chew toys should be considered mandatory at this dogs age, he will begin teething soon, and just like children, chewin will make his teeth and gums feel better. I highly suggest rope toys at this time, the large cotton ropes with a few knots in them. They are tactile, excellent at keeping oral health good by working like floss and a tooth brush too. Kong products are great toys, my store carries the majority of their line. They have squeaker balls, even squeaker bones and footballs with tennis ball felt. In thir classic line is the original "beehive" toy, there are three levels, the puppy ones are often pink or blue and are the softest, then the red original which is a bit harder and then the extreme which is black and even harder.
With bird dogs and other retrievers I don't recommend tug-o-war toys, your goal is to train the dog to drop on ommnd, not play and pull. So by never introducing this habit, you never have to worry about it in the field.
Some dogs are crazy about squeaker toys, will do anything to get the squeaker out and destroyed as quick as possible. My boy Radar was like that. I switched him over to crinkle toys, plush toys with cellophane inside so it isn't as loud as a water bottle at night when we are trying to watch TV. They now last 6+ months before I throw them out due to being just too nasty looking to keep around.
There are toys on the market now that are designed around a standard water bottle with heavy duty velcro closure.
Radar gets trained to every new toy he gets, I give it a name and usually in a week of casual training he's got it. He won't go fetch it (not his instinct) but during play time I can tell him which one to get and he will look for it.
An easy way to circumvent the "others in the pack" from ruining training is to use the Never Give Something For Nothing method. This way every interaction becomes a mini training session. Time to feed the dog, make him sit or shake or whatever. Going out back to go potty, again make him sit. Every time he does good, he should get a reward, whether its a single small treat, or affection or toy, he must earn it. Being dilligent with the others in the house about no table food, only the specific treats and exactly which commands you want is key. This will help keep them from undoing some training by making them feel good for giving the dog a treat, and helps train the dog too.
-X
Chew toys should be considered mandatory at this dogs age, he will begin teething soon, and just like children, chewin will make his teeth and gums feel better. I highly suggest rope toys at this time, the large cotton ropes with a few knots in them. They are tactile, excellent at keeping oral health good by working like floss and a tooth brush too. Kong products are great toys, my store carries the majority of their line. They have squeaker balls, even squeaker bones and footballs with tennis ball felt. In thir classic line is the original "beehive" toy, there are three levels, the puppy ones are often pink or blue and are the softest, then the red original which is a bit harder and then the extreme which is black and even harder.
With bird dogs and other retrievers I don't recommend tug-o-war toys, your goal is to train the dog to drop on ommnd, not play and pull. So by never introducing this habit, you never have to worry about it in the field.
Some dogs are crazy about squeaker toys, will do anything to get the squeaker out and destroyed as quick as possible. My boy Radar was like that. I switched him over to crinkle toys, plush toys with cellophane inside so it isn't as loud as a water bottle at night when we are trying to watch TV. They now last 6+ months before I throw them out due to being just too nasty looking to keep around.
There are toys on the market now that are designed around a standard water bottle with heavy duty velcro closure.
Radar gets trained to every new toy he gets, I give it a name and usually in a week of casual training he's got it. He won't go fetch it (not his instinct) but during play time I can tell him which one to get and he will look for it.
An easy way to circumvent the "others in the pack" from ruining training is to use the Never Give Something For Nothing method. This way every interaction becomes a mini training session. Time to feed the dog, make him sit or shake or whatever. Going out back to go potty, again make him sit. Every time he does good, he should get a reward, whether its a single small treat, or affection or toy, he must earn it. Being dilligent with the others in the house about no table food, only the specific treats and exactly which commands you want is key. This will help keep them from undoing some training by making them feel good for giving the dog a treat, and helps train the dog too.
-X
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Of course, some dogs have a habbit of eating toys rather than playing. Play time should be supervised until you determine the dog is fine with a certain type of toy. Also, the 100% cotton ropes don't seem to have that issue. Funny, my pup Weber, the first month we had him got ahold of some of my sons crayons that were left out. We dint notice because he ate them entirely. Until I went to pick up the yard the next day and I find waste full of bright yellow chunks of crayon! I'm not talking about a corn kernle here and there, it was pretty solid with crayon! Strangely, one pile would be on color, and the next one another, lol! It actually made clean up easier, I could find it in the grass quite easily!
Other than rope toys, Nylabone makes some dental chews with texture and shape designed to clean teeth. Those are great too. I just don't recommend hooves or bones until after about 6-7 months when the last adult teeth are in. The k9's are the last to come in.
One thing is for sure, better to have too many toys than not enough! Because when one gets lost or loses favor, he will turn to the next thing found, shoes, remotes, glasses, etc.
-X
Other than rope toys, Nylabone makes some dental chews with texture and shape designed to clean teeth. Those are great too. I just don't recommend hooves or bones until after about 6-7 months when the last adult teeth are in. The k9's are the last to come in.
One thing is for sure, better to have too many toys than not enough! Because when one gets lost or loses favor, he will turn to the next thing found, shoes, remotes, glasses, etc.
-X
Well my dog just started to eat feces. I don't know what the cause is. Online said he could be lacking certain vital nutrients or he's hungry but I feed him 3.5 cups a day.. And advice on this. (I've never shoved his face in feces. He's actually never had an accident in the house I'm religious about taking him outside)
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Some dogs just do. Get some coprophagia tabs from a pet store. Maybe a tooth brush and tooth paste while you're at it, lol 
. Or, he could be just trying to get a taste out of his mouth!
-X
. Or, he could be just trying to get a taste out of his mouth!-X
