Are we still talking about the dog or are you talking about one of the kids?
Where to get a puppy?
- Thread starter mimico_polak
- Start date
Puppies are just like kids , only more nicer to be around . Training doesn’t happen instantly, it takes work and patience. And communication, my dogs are “off furniture “ dogs , they get invited to other non dog people’s houses because they know the floor is for them . They also do not get people food , never anything from tbe table . We have had to train friends , no slipping the dog roast beef from the table . They don’t hang around the table and beg because it’s never happened. You do need a united approach.
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Training pays off big time. We had a lab. People were surprised when we could leave snacks on the coffee table unattended with a lab around. He wouldn't touch them. I would have him lay down and put bacon on top of his paws and then I'd go to the bathroom. When I came back, 99/100 times the bacon would still be there. Obviously when I told him it was his, it was gone in a flash. Racing a dog for something dropped/accessible is no Bueno for me.
I remember being horrified when I read that Arctic explorers would all deficate in the same spot so the dogs could feast on it.
Talk about dog breath.
We had a Lab with the biggest personality of any dog we’ve had . Chased a rabbit under the deck and wedged his shoulders , I had to disconnect the deck and floor jack it up to save tbe dog . Dropped a VW key fob , he swallowed it before it hit the ground , ate the leather steering wheel out of my truck . Chewed the push button out of a console gear shift . Would pick up any screwdriver you sat down and walk away with it . Had three ACL surgeries on two back legs . Was on a hypo allergenic diet , cost us at least twenty k I can attest to.
Best dog ever , I loved that moron .
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Best dog ever , I loved that moron .
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I just know that I can still leave clothing / shoes I don't like and they may get 'accidentally' damaged....
"Kirkland" makes a bunch of different blends. Lamb, rice, salamon. All the usuals. The food is made by a 3rd gen. family owned business (Davidsons) badged for Costco and the drys get 4-4.5 star (out of 5) ratings (blend dependent) @ petfoodadvisor.net, the definitive dog food analysis/rating group.
Don't get me started on my last Shepherd. If she saw you touch it it was in play. Camera gear bag was under my desk behind a 2 drawer filing cabinet and blocked by a foot stool. Came home to the gear bag in the living room, gear everywhere. She figured out that the "stupid annoying flashy thingie" was in the black pouch.........
I went with Origen Puppy. I used it with my Boxer (expected 8-10 year life span), and she lived to be 13 before we had to put her down for health reasons. Her niece, a Boxer/Husky/Border Collie mix, lived to be 15.
We didn't use Origen their entire lives. We switched it up occasionally, but mostly it was Origen, and for a while Wellness. Briefly we used Royal Canin because they had a Boxer specific kibble that was supposed to be easier for Boxers teeth to chew, but we didn't use it long because the nutritional value wasn't great.
That was a few years ago, though, so I did some research when I picked up my new puppy. This is the results of what I found:
Dog Nutrition Guide
6 Best dog food brands:
Orijen
Acana
Open Farms
Farmina N & D
Carna4
FirstMate
These are good, too: Fromm, GO! Solutions, Nulo, ZIWI, The Honest Kitchen, RAWZ, Stella & Chewy’s.
Mid-Tier:
Wellness
Taste of teh Wild
Horizon
Boreal
Merrick
Nature’s Logic
Canadian Naturals
Oven Baked Tradition
SquarePet
Zignature
KOHA
AVOID:
Hill’s Science Diet
Royal Canin
Natural Balance
Advance Pet
Martin
Brown’s
Armstrong
Miller
Top Brands for Treats:
1 PureBites
2Tilted Barn
3 Crumps’ Naturals
4 Benny Bully’s
This & That Canine
Open Farm
Fruitables
Stella & Chewy’s
Ziwi
Mid-Tier Treat Brands:
Northern Biscuit
Oven-Baked Tradition
Jay’s Tasty Adventures
Go!
Acana
Home Range / Open Range
AVOID THESE TREATS BRANDS:
Greenies
N-bone
Whimzees
Old Mother Hubbars
Arm & Hammer
TropiClean
Burt’s Bees
Rollover
Natural Balance
Store “baked biscuit” lines
Fruit-flavoured chews or “dental sticks” from non-food brands.
For anyone interested, this is the result of my dog toy research:
Top Tier:
Kong
Bonebone
Playology
Outward Hound
Chuckit!
Tall Tails
Rogz
JW Pet
smartpetlove
Mid-Tier:
Bud’z
Ware
Coastal Pet
Turbo
Living World
Petmate / PetSafe
Yeowww!
Avoid:
Bare Necessities
Bud’z budget bin toys
Arm & Hammer
No-name rope toys
Ultra-cheap squeaky toys
Toy with strong chemical smell
Top Tier:
Kong
Bonebone
Playology
Outward Hound
Chuckit!
Tall Tails
Rogz
JW Pet
smartpetlove
Mid-Tier:
Bud’z
Ware
Coastal Pet
Turbo
Living World
Petmate / PetSafe
Yeowww!
Avoid:
Bare Necessities
Bud’z budget bin toys
Arm & Hammer
No-name rope toys
Ultra-cheap squeaky toys
Toy with strong chemical smell
Be warned.
There is no such thing as "indestructible" dog toys.
Dogs will even chew apart an old frying pan.
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Damn, you guys have some spoiled puppers. I guess any bag is still cheaper than those that feed raw.
Funny, I say something similar. I swear by the Dog Training for Dummies book, and have told people the to techniques in that book work equally well for kids. I raise all 3 of my kids using that method.
For instance, if you tell a dog "No", then it's "no", final. No changing your mind. If you occasionally let it go, they'll always fight you on it because you've bent before, you might bend again. My kids hated that I don't allow debate once I made up my mind, but they now accept it. There's no begging or debate once I say "No." There's times that I've wished I could for my own reasons, like, if I'd have said "Yes, you can watch TV", then it would have made it easier for me to get something done.
But again, you give in once, they'll always try to get you to do it again.
Our breed is "allergic" or does not tolerate chicken. So that doesn't leave many options.
PetValue has a stamp card that if you buy 10 or 12 you get the next one FREE.
She actually gets a mixture of half a bowl of this kibble and half a can of soft food. She gets the "Gulpies" often and the soft food is suppose to help with that.
We used to give her some cheese or deli or some left over added to her food. But I put a stop to that.
Part of the reason why I wasn't in favour of getting a dog, but I lost that battle.
I can't say I regret it. She has been awesome for the family.
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Shaman
Well-known member
I give my huskies scraps but not at the table, always in the same place and I always make them "stay" before praising them and giving them the scraps. However, my mother had dinner with us and I told her at least three times before and during dinner not to feed the dogs. She snuck them some food and I caught her doing it, she didn't understand why I was so angry... thinks she's a dog person, but huskies aren't just regular dogs, they're clever and highly food-motivated.
Since that ONE incident, my dogs now hang around the table and will even sometimes howl at us because we're not sharing. Yet, we don't and never have shared at the table. ONE incident. Grrrr.
We used to have a lab. We didn't feed it at the table. He was around but didn't beg. After he died, I looked under the table after dinner and there was most of a chicken breast on the floor. It turns out our young daughter had been firing most of her food under the table and the dog would eat it. Dog was gone but she didn't figure out the jig was up so she continued on with her plan. Obviously we had a discussion. That explains why the dog was inexplicably thickening.
Bought this "Indestructible Dog Toy" on Amazon in June. Still in on piece, and my dog is a Shepherd/Mal mix with knives for teeth (buddy, what happened to your arms?).
NOTHING, however trumps LOG! FIW (found in woods).
The stick shenanigans in the park between all the neighbours dogs is hilarious. Stealing each other's sticks. Hiding them in the woods. Burying them in the wood chips in the playground.
