Getting a puppy in a week, looking for some ideas

OK. Ask and ye shall receive! Here goes:

As some/most of you know, I am a retired wildlife biologist. Like many biology majors, I worked in the pet industry while in college. In my case, I managed the fish department for a chain of mall pet centers. I also served as assistant manager in the manager's absence. I was at that stage where it seemed my parents were throwing me out every other week. Al and Margie were gracious enough to take me in and I would serve as their baby-sitter in exchange for a place to "hide-out". Well, Al had previously managed a pet store that carried exotic animals in Hollywood. Margie was kinda of a "Hollywood Hippie"=attended all the parties, etc. Margie decided she wanted a monkey, so Al found a capuchin for sale with a wrought iron parrot cage, available in the Hollywood Hills (they were living in the South Bay/Torrance area of Los Angeles). Al's best friends from Washington, Mike and Diane, were down visiting. All total there were 5 kids and 5 adults loaded into Al's 59 Chevy station wagon, Margie holding the monkey, and the cage laying in the cargo area (which was folded down and me and the five kids were crammed in around it). Primates have always liked me for some reason, possibly because I am a functioning autistic. The front seat held four adults and the excited capuchin. The monkey decided that it wanted to hold onto me for the ~30-mile ride on the Harbor Freeway. Capuchins, like all monkeys and apes, are extremely strong. It broke free and all the kids naturally wanted to cuddle with it, the adults wanted to grab it before we got into a wreck, and it wanted to cuddle with me. So, the da++ monkey was bouncing all over the car, peeing and crapping everywhere until I ended up with a very wet and stinky primate hanging onto my neck! We arrived at Al & Margie's house and I handed it off to Margie. In appreciation, the little bast=== bit my finger.

To show the strength, I was picking up dog vaccine from our store vet and he asked if I could help them out. They had a wooly monkey and needed to give it a shot. We each had a limb or the head. Monkeys do NOT like shots! The sweet little thing reached up with his tail and grabbed the syringe, threw it against the wall with enough force to shatter it! We had to enlist a strongly-built black kid from the waiting room to hold the tail!

If I can digress about my affinity with primates: As you probably know my MS is in Animal Behavior, especially black bear behavior. After I took a position with US Fish and Wildlife, I transferred to eastern Washington. Central Washington University had a primate studies program, and you could take tours of the facility (I was contemplating getting a second Master's in Primate Behavior after I retired. Unfortunately, they ended the program before I could go.). A few months before, I had broken both my ankles goose hunting along the Columbia River. One healed up but the other wasn't doing so well (They eventually had to go in and remove a bone chip). I was on crutches and a leg cast. You entered the "auditorium" and were seated. As you entered, you were instructed to have your eye downcast (direct stares are considered by monkeys and apes as being aggressive) and "hug yourself" (the sign language sign for "friend"). Several chimps interacted with the speaker through a glass window/wall. One prime male was sitting a ledge about 8 feet high and ignoring the speaker. As we got up to leave, the male jumped down, banged against the glass partition and leaped back up to the ledge. He pointed at me, then at his ankle and then made the sign for "friend". The speaker/keeper said he was astounded as the male had never interacted with anybody but the handlers.

Sorry for the boring "war stories"!

 

Right after college a friend of mine decided he wanted a snake. One day he brought home a Burmese python, with an aquarium, gravel, heat lamp, the whole shebang. He had fun decorating the tank with rocks and branches for the snake to lounge on and under. His problem was that after several days the snake hadn’t eaten. My friend had offered it lettuce, cut-up fruit, tuna, raw hamburger, etc. but nothing worked. Worried that the snake was ill, he called the pet store for advice. He had a fit when he was told the snake only ate live mice. Shocked and downcast, he drove to the store to get a mouse, and it rode hame with him in a clear plastic box, sitting on the dash. Well, on the drive home he fell in love with the mouse, and circled back to the pet store for another one. Back at the apartment he put the second mouse in the tank, and the pythons went right after it. It was consumed within 6 minutes. Mouse number one lived out it’s sad tortured life within plain view of the tank and witnessed over and over the feeding of other mice that snake. After a while the poor thing was catatonic with fear.

 

My dogs ( English Pointers) ride in the back in Kennels.They love car rides and you never know that are back there for hours.

 

I also have two beagles. One LOVES car rides, and one used to hate it... We found out that the one whom hated it (of course, our little rescued guy) used to be tortured in the car by the previous owners kids. After almost two years of having him (next month), he loves riding with me in the 4Runner. Now with my partner in the Tacoma, that's another story... He goes back to crying all the way to the doggie park and home.

For us, we use the Reddy Harnesses from Petco, attached to the seat belt tether....

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/reddy-black-jacquard-dog-harness-x-largexx-large-3381232?gclid=CjwKCAjw-7OlBhB8EiwAnoOEkzp7tZ28WgAfOhEqeas-z_Iy-6ywUmtbycrGW7hUivPDFwos7J5AmhoCtvwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

with this:

$8 2 Pack Dog Seat Belt Adjustable Dog Car Seatbelts for Vehicle Nylon Pet Safety Seat Belt with Elastic Bungee Buffer Reflective & Durable Car Harness for Dogs

https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-S...apcUOU2hN-2fZ-6kRaAkNFJrA-jt7WdBoCJT4QAvD_BwE

AND, don't forget the rear seat covers:

https://www.chewy.com/frisco-quilte...z2_u81eYeHBfYXfBQF_6jP4o5rjYp2YBoC7g8QAvD_BwE


When they were puppies though, we had both in a big crate, and positioned where they could always see us. Good luck mate! They're a joy to have!

Cheers,

Sean

 

My dog Zeus rides in the back seat with a harness. He is 12 now but when he was a pup He sat in the front with a harness and a seat cover.
My last vehicle was a Rx300 and he had no problem jumping up!
Now he is older. The back seat has a weather te c seat cove and I got him a ramp for going in and out.

 

That reminds me of a similar story. I had a reticulated python actually several but this was my first. I always feed him rats but they were out so I got a hamster. I put it in the glass tank for the snake to eat and they lived together for a week. He just wouldn’t eat him. We bought cage named him Fred and had a pet hamster for nearly 7 years as well

 

Puppy tips, definitely get a travel crate and home crate and look up youtube videos on crate training games/technique so your dog gets very comfortable with a crate. Sign up for puppy classes and if possible, allow your puppy to stay with its litter mates and parents until its 12 weeks old so it gets more dog socialization (very important IMO for having a well mannered dog that knows how to be around other dogs). If you can't, make friends with folks in the puppy classes to have plenty of puppy play dates and find other dog friends you can socialize your dog with.

Once its about a year old (sometimes you can try a bit younger) you can start to experiment with leaving the dog out of its crate when you are gone. Also make sure to take the dog out on fun adventures in the car. Don't just bring it to the vet because then the dog will associate car rides with the scary vet (also make sure you find a good vet that has great petside manners, because the vet should not be a scary thing).

My girl Lizzy loves a car ride and she'll sit next to my 4 runner the moment she sees me starting to load it up. She's got the biggest case of FOMO and does NOT want to miss out on any adventures.



My boy Joey isn't quite as excited about car rides, but he never puts up a fuss and just sits with his back to my seat looking out the back or side windows. He's strange like that but its just how he likes to roll.


I've also just kept the back seats flat and a couple of floor cushions for them because I did notice the exhaust fumes coming in from the back window and was worried about smogging them out.


but before that, that back window was very much doggo approved! Good luck with the new pup!

 

I think i could see that but I would think the exhaust fumes would only be during stop and go traffic so it you were not doing a lot of stop and go should be no issues? This really has me wondering now since we always travel with the back window down 1/3 of the way since my Husky wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe why i am half dead too since i have don't thing for a many years. Would be interested in really know if this is a really issue when not in stop/go city travel.

 

I have noticed if you have a front window open it helps with air flowing out the back, Cosmo approves of this method.

 

^^^This. Gotta have a couple of side windows cracked when the rear window is open.

@Marchy, I would reserve crate training for certain individuals. I guess it depends on one’s philosophy about pets. I’ve owned two dogs in my adult life. I’ve loved them more than most people I know. Putting them in a crate reduces them to livestock. The thing that makes the difference with dogs is the time you spend with them.

I grew up with Weimaraners. Great dogs.

 

Also after you finish dog training remember you need to train the trainer and keep the trainer trained or it all goes away. It's works great if you follow up with keeping the trainer doing what is needed. Once you start to relax on stuff the dogs are smart and they will learn they can get away with stuff rather fast.

 

Let em ride shotgun

 

Absolutely love my Ruffland kennel. This one is the large.

 

Maybe I missed it, what size/kind of a dog? Been considering a RK kennel in large vs intermediate for my 68 lbs pitbull mix.

 

We just use a WalMart bought crate for our hunting dogs. Cost right around $50 versus $250 for those other kennels.

 

i have seen a few comments on the exhaust fumes. has anyone ever plugged in a co detector in the back?

 

I was thinking about that too, would be interesting to see the results.

 

it's actually worse when the truck is moving and under load, especially going uphill. Light load and stop and go traffic I never noticed it. The back of the truck has a low pressure area where the exhaust fumes will get caught up in and then come into the truck if the window is all the way down. Its a pretty common complaint and the owners manual does say to not drive with the back window down because the fumes will come in. It's not as noticeable from the drivers seat if the back seats are up, but if they're down and you are going up a hill, I guarantee you'll smell it.

I disagree entirely on the reducing them to livestock comment, unless you are leaving them in a kennel/crate all day then I agree with the comment. A crate to me is a tool used to help train and build the relationship with your dog and help build your dog's confidence. It becomes their safe space, a place to sleep without getting bothered and should you choose, could be the place they eat. Puppies are naturally destructive and a crate is an easy way to ensure they aren't chewing on everything while you're at work or running some errands they can't tag along with. Now as your dog matures, leaving it in the crate when you step out will likely no longer need to be a thing, but it'll always be a good thing to have in your back pocket, to know that your dog will happily pop into a crate when you need them to.

 

Build your relationship with your dog by isolating him … I guess we’ll agree to disagree on that. Your explanation reminds me of parents who use the Ferber method.

ETA: I shouldn’t have made that Ferber crack. Look. We’re both dog guys, let’s keep that in mind first and foremost.

 

Marmalade is home. Thank you for all of the suggestions.

 

So cute! Best wishes for a long and wonderful friendship.

 

My 2 English Pointers today trying to stay cool. The older dog loves to dive to the bottom and pick up rocks. This is the Mimbre’s River in Southwestern, NM in the Gila National Forest. About 12 miles from my house.

 

I hiked once in the Sawtooths with a guy who brought two Australian Blue Heelers. When we threw rocks into the river (which was entirely paved in rocks), they would always retrieve the right ones. I figured their sense of smell could still function under water.

 

Years ago, we had a Brittany/Springer mix female. We use to go camping in the High Sierra’s and she would not leave us alone around the camp fire, so, we would throw rocks in the creek for her to retrieve. After a while we wondered if she was bringing back the same rocks, so, we started marking them. Usually a chip on the edge of the rock and she would bring the same damn rock back each time. Don’t know how she would find it in the water, but, she did. My pointers are not bringing the same rock back.

 

Yeah good idea I am going to do this and she if indeed it goes off especially since my husky will not be happy without the window opened in the back. Thanks for the suggestion that is a good idea and close the issue one way or the other.

 

Barrier for the kids? My dad was a truck driver and it was amazing how he could smack all 3 kids in the back of a '52 Chevy with his right hand w/o turning around or taking his left hand off the steering wheel!

 

We my sense of smell is not the best I can tell you that first, but I never smelled exhaust when driving with the back window down 1/3 for Kona. Have driven many miles plus 3 hour trips to and from like Hells Canyon and also down a lot of up and down 4 wheeling in the area and have not notice anything. Also the little lady has no issues catching smells and she has never commented about any exhaust. So I think the best way in my mine is to close the issue with putting the C02 monitor in the back and see what we get.

 

I honestly had to google what the hell the ferber method was haha. And look, I don't take any of this personally, everyone has their own styles on how they will raise up their dog and the relationship with their dog. Some people find it super cute when their 9lb chihuahua is aggressive and biting at everyone, some people are ok with their dogs pulling them in every direction on a walk. Some people think its gross when their dog licks them, and some people like my neighbor, will get high energy dog, do 0 training with it, will only walk it so far as the 10 feet to the grassy spot around the corner and then wonder why her dog is a neurotic mess that never listens to her, but will listen to me when I call it when it gets loose from her. Hell some people think I'm irresponsible for not strapping a harness to my dogs in the truck and buckling them up. But to your point, yes, any training you do with your dog will build that relationship up between the two of you. You don't even have to close the door to the crate while doing a lot of the crate training games and you're right there with them, so it's not isolation as you say.

But let me ask you this, what's the difference between leaving your dog alone with free roam of the house for 4 hours or leaving it in its crate which it willingly goes into?

The answer really depends on the dog, both of my dogs are rescues, and my silver lab had some bad separation anxiety that I had to work through. Which the anxiety was partly my fault because I stayed home from work for a few weeks when I first got her, so she got used to always being around me. And for context, I rescued her from a breeder right after she had her second litter of puppies in under 12 months. I was told she had spent the first year with another breeder locked in a 8x8 kennel. So the last thing I wanted to do was to put her into a crate. But when I left her in the house even just for 15-30 minutes to run to the grocery store. She would get into everything she could, she barked the entire time I was gone, she destroyed a pair of headphones, an xbox controller, a tv remote, a water bottle just to name a few things on my first few tries. The worst was the anxiety poo in the middle of the living room haha. But when she was in the crate, she was calm, no barking, no destruction of anything in the crate. Often she would put herself into her crate while I was getting ready for work because that was her safe space. Now with time I was able to work through this anxiety and could leave the crate door open for ever longer trips away from the house and after about 8 months she was able to handle having free roam of the house.

So all that to say, I totally get your point of not wanting a crate your dog. But just because the tool doesn't work for you and your application, shouldn't be the reason you dismiss others from using it or at least trying it out.

@wax poetic congrats on the new pup! its frigging adorable

 

Glad to hear it.

You’re kidding, right?

Your efforts to relieve your dog of its anxiety issues were awesome and in that case the crate was used for noble ends. And I’m very glad to hear that you were successful. But when you say above that OP should get crates and crate train his puppy right away, that belies the notion that “it really depends on the dog.”

The purpose of a crate is to isolate your dog. The purpose of crate training is to make him okay with it.

 

Yes! Another dog thread! I compensate for driving the slowest SUV in American by owning the fastest dog breed in the world.
It's hard to believe that this couch potato goes from 0-45 MPH in three strides. Feona runs sideways in front of my in-law's Aussie Shepherd so it can keep up.