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Nlulu
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Location: huddersfield uk
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09-02-2010, 12:14 PM

Know it all! That'll teach me! :-)

I know alot of you are very experienced with dogs but there are lots of pet owners on here too so just wanted to ask to all of you about your experiences....
......anyone else feel like they knew loads about dogs and training until a challenging new arrival?

I had recently helped a friend of mine who had never had a dog before with all the preperations and gave her loads of guidance on how to settle a new puppy and offered loads of advice about how to handle things including taking my dog Jess round to teach her kids the right way to play with a dog before their pup arrived. I must admit I asked my other friend who is a veterinary nurse for some guidance to make sure the info I was giving was correct and printed off loads of info about crate training etc for her too....anyway the outcome was fantastic and they have followed my advice and are really enjoying their new pup.

Following this success we decided getting Sherlock now (had been talking about another dog for ages) would work well and I had enjoyed helping my friend so much I couldnt wait to do the same things......

.....cue Sherlock.....I know nothing!!!

Ok thats probabaly a little extreme.....but all the things we did with my friends pup have been sooo much more difficult with him and all my best laid plans havent worked as I thought they would!

We have my OH kids stay every other weekend and I had written out a list of 'Puppy rules' for them so that we were all doing the same thing and they were respectful with him but this list seems to be changing all the time as I try and sort out another problem!

Im not using this as a moan at all.....Sherlock is great but my point is I thought it would be easy! I had done my homework and even seen it in practice but this puppy is just cleverer than me! Be great if I could ask him for advice on how to do things!

Anyone else had the similar?
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Lizzy23
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09-02-2010, 12:25 PM
but thats all dogs be it puppies or adults, they are all different, i never claim to know everything, i learn off my dogs and my fosters every day, what works with one, will probably not work with another
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Nlulu
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09-02-2010, 12:33 PM
Originally Posted by Lizzy23 View Post
but thats all dogs be it puppies or adults, they are all different, i never claim to know everything, i learn off my dogs and my fosters every day, what works with one, will probably not work with another
I wasnt really saying I thought I knew everything it was meant to be a jokey title (sorry i forget tone of voice doesnt always come across in text)
I was totally prepared for differences, I was just starting a general conversation and am seeing the funny side of helping someone else but not being as good with my own

Im sure even really experienced dog owners come up against challenges now and again and I was interested in peoples thoughts before new addition arrived and the reality....like I said im not having a moan just chatting
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JanieM
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09-02-2010, 12:40 PM
I know what you mean. You feel you have enough experience to know how to handle most situations and then a dog comes along that challenges everything you thought you knew.
I think every new dog that comes into your life teaches you new things, and some of them teach you everything you didn't know.
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labradork
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09-02-2010, 12:44 PM
Bo my Slovak is my first HPR breed...definately the most challenging dog I have owned! they are that combination of real intelligence with a stubborn "whats in it for me?" attitude which can be difficult to work with. Very different from retriever breeds which I am more familiar with that will generally bend over backwards to please you.
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Wysiwyg
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09-02-2010, 12:44 PM
Yes very true, I think all dogs can teach us something different when we thought we'd "got it" as it were

My current dog has been quite a challenge and taught me lots, just when I thought I'd learnt most of what I needed to know - hehe!
Wys
x
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wilbar
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09-02-2010, 01:03 PM
I know exactly what you mean! It's all very well knowing the theory but putting it into practice can be a different matter.

I think the key is to be adaptable, to get to know your dog, to learn it's body language, to be prepared for unexpected & to do your best to understand your dog.

A very wise friend of mine gave me 2 pieces of advice.

Firstly, don't encourage certain behaviours until you have mastered the "off switch"! For example teaching a dog to give you it's paw for a reward can lead to continual pawing every time your dog wants something. Engaging in rough & tumble play with your dog until gets too excited & exuberant ~ you need to know how to stop it when you've had enough! So teaching calm, relaxed behaviours, showing your dog how to switch off & unwind are as important, if not more important, than teaching basic training commands.

Secondly, if in doubt, do nothing, more is less! This has always been my mantra when rehoming a rescue dog. They need time to settle in, to observe the rules of the house, to learn your routine & how they fit in to it. Most dogs are pretty observant & provided their basic survival needs are met (i.e. shelter, safety, sleep, food, water, companionship), then the dog can start to notice other things in life ~ & most of them learn pretty quickly.

Once you have mastered these things, then strangely enough, a lot of the other stuff seems to fall into place.

Best of luck with Sherlock though ~ I'm sure you're doing a good job & everything will be fine ~ at least you can se the funny side!
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Nlulu
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09-02-2010, 01:52 PM
thought I wouldnt be alone on this!

my friend who I gave advice to is now helping me so yes im def seeing the funny side
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ClaireandDaisy
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09-02-2010, 01:56 PM
This happens every time I get another dog! Each dog is a whole new challenge - and it`s so easy to get discouraged when you forget that the last dog took just as much time and effort.
But isn`t that what makes it endlessly interesting?
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Ramble
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09-02-2010, 02:09 PM
Every dog is so very different and throws a new challenge our way. The way you interact with them/circumstances/breeding all play a part in making them all unique. Dogs are not a 'one size fits all' they are all different. The day they are all the same and can be treated the same is the day I stop having dogs.
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