# My best friend



## Robert Hudson

Meet my new best friend:










This is three and a half month old Buster Brown. I just brought him home on Sunday!

He's helping me sweep up my shop!


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## davemonkey

Cute pup! Where did you get him?


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## JanS

Awww, he's a cutie! 

What breed is he?

I wonder if he'll be as much "fun" as Boris, our Doberman was when he was a pup?? :shock: LOL! They sure have a way of keeping you on your toes.


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## Robert Hudson

He's a mutt, small dog. Will be around 20 pounds when full grown. He is quite the little terror. They told me he was house broken... they lied! I got him off of craigs list


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## davemonkey

Robert Hudson said:


> He's a mutt, small dog. Will be around 20 pounds when full grown. He is quite the little terror. They told me he was house broken... they lied! I got him off of craigs list


Eek! Cleaning doggie surprises is no fun. Good luck with the 'housebreaking'.

I was lied to as well when I got my dog (rescued from the pound...on the day he was scheduled for the juice). They said he was a "lab-mix" . HA! He looks more like a pit-bull to me than anything else now that he's grown up (about 40 lbs) . Oh well, he's still a mutt, and mutt's are the best dogs ever! (IMHO.) 

-Dave


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## Cliff Mayes

Congratulations Robert!

Dogs do not have our type of "intelligence" but they learn faster than we do, the only problem is they never forget anything. They are learning from us even when we think they might be resting while we go about our business and they do not deal well with change as a result.

Housebreaking can be quite simple. If you do not have a good cage get one that is appropriate for the size he is now. The dog goes in the crate (crates by the way are not punishment and should not be used as such, a crate is a good thing to always have for the dog, they enjoy and will use it) and when the timer (required) says two hours have gone by take him out or where you want him to go and say "go busy" or whatever suits you. Then immediately take him back to the crate. After about 24 or 48 hours the dog knows what is expected. Do not take for granted that a baby will not have accidents and deal with them accordingly. Always remember that the dog is usually trying to be the best he can be so softly and gently.

I hope I am not preaching to the Choir. If so please trash this.

Good luck!


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## Robert Hudson

I'm not following you exactly, could you explain each step again?


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## Cliff Mayes

Put the dog in the crate. And set a timer (no sounds please) for two hours.

After two hours take the dog out on a leash and when you are at an appropriate spot give the command that you want the dog to relate to. I use "go busy" but you can use whatever you want.

Immediately take the dog back to the crate and after 24 to 48 hours the dog has the message except for accidents the baby might have.


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## Cliff Mayes

I see I left out something very important.

This whole ritual is about housebreaking...and dogs (especially puppies ) have different agendas.

*Regardless of whether the dogs "goes" or not the time to do his business has to be short. Just enough time...no more! If the puppy does not have to go he still goes back to the crate.* Play time has to be separate from "business" time. *A great deal of praise when something good happens helps to reinforce so be unsparing with praise when the dog does something good.*

I grew up with Beagles and for a long time I thought they were dumb but I have come to the understandng that they are not dumb (far from it) but they are extremly curious and have incredible noses and they do not care about our measly concerns when there is something they need to check out.


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## Robert Hudson

Interesting.. I don't see how it could work though. He would go nuts and bark his head off, or whine for two hours if I put him in a crate.

I took him outside walked up and down the street, brought back in my office and as soon as he crosses the front door he pees in my office...


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## Cliff Mayes

Millions of Dog Folk have done this. It works.

Sometimes a short term of aggravation is needed to save a lot.

Trust me. The dog will learn and will strive to please you. Inappropriate behavior on the dogs part is pure and simple a mistake.

Dogs are similar to us in that whatever we learn early on in life is what becomes the norm. Food, behaviors, it does not matter, we accept normal stuff usually without question.


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## Robert Hudson

So I do this to train him to a paper, or to go outside? If he was barking all night long, I wouldn't be able to keep him for very long


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## JanS

Cliff is right on with the advice.

Most prefer not to paper train and just take them out every couple of hours and give them whatever command you choose. I use "go poop or go pee" and he learned it amazingly fast.
When they are 3 months old, it's physically impossible for them to be totally house broken for more than a couple hours, so you can't blame the little guy for relieving himself if he has been in longer than that (yup, it's like having a new baby  ).

We crate trained Boris when he just a little bit older than your pup, and even though they may bark and fuss at first, they do grow to look at it as their "den or cave" once they get used to it, given it's used properly. Now Boris asks to go in there if I have him gated off in the kitchen with me, and actually prefers to be in the crate rather than out in the open when he rests.
Ahh, life is good in my "man cave"...

Edit: apparently the photo issue hasn't been resolved, so it's not showing up as it should.

Here is a pretty good guideline our breeder has on her site for house training and the use of crates, which was pretty much the way we did it with Boris.
http://aruffcom.ipower.com/Housetraining.html

Hang in there, a little effort with your little guy is well worth it when they grow up and form that special bond with you.


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## Robert Hudson

Well he is already bonding to me, and he is completely adorable! He follows me whereever I go. So I bring the crate with us to my office, and use it at home, and keep him in it and let him outside every two hours. I think my next door neighbor has a carrier big enough for him I could borrow. I'll give it a try. I bought these stupid potty training pads and I cant get him to go anywhere near it.

What about at night though? I don't have to wake up every two hours to let him out do I?

Nevermind, I read the article and answered my own question. Thanks Cliff and Jan! This seems to make sense now that I think about it. I can do this! I will miss not having him curled up in bed with me though! I still have a cat, and having Buster confined might help to have them ajust to each other better. I guess I will go buy a crate tonight instead of trying to use a carrier. Its only money!


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## Cliff Mayes

Usually the pup will not be as active at night, and he will not be eating so a longer period is probably OK but even so a baby can not "hold it for a long period of time. Even though the dog does not want to mess its own area it has to go so help it out. Like I said a little bit of grief right now solves a lot later. If you have ever raied kids this is similar but quicker and easier.

Borrowing a small crate for a puppy is wiser. Those darn crates are not cheap and the same crate for a puppy is not normally OK for an adult. The size needs to be big enough to stand and turn around in, no bigger so two sizes are usually required.


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## Robert Hudson

Well I went to Petco and bought a steel cage like crate for a 20 pound dog, and it has a divider in it to make it smaller. I put a nice blanket in it. I took him outside at 10 to 11 PM and walked him until he did something.... at 12:45 am I was tired of walking and he didn't do a darn thing! He must have a pretty strong bladder! I was so frustrated. I put him in the crate and slept in a chair next to it. At 6am I let him out and he did a number 1 and thats it. At 8: 30 am I took him outside at my office and he didn't do anything. He's sleeping now in the crate. Once it becomes a regular routine I am sure things will go smoother, but hour and a half walks at midnight is not going to happen again!


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## cs_gardener

What an adorable pup! Congrats on the new addition to your family, I know you've been wanting to get a dog for a long time. Good luck with the house training.


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## Cliff Mayes

Good for you, long walks are for enjoyment later. *For an hour and a half he is playing, enjoying being alive and with you. Bear in mind what I said ASAP... no longer.*

Dogs are like baby's they sleep a lot. If a dog (especially a young one) is kept up too long it gets sick and beyond that no training is taking place during long walks. The pup can and will hold its waste for a while just not for eight hours. The puppy needs his rest, just like us, only more so. Dogs and fish use us to keep track of time, meals etc. We tell people if you are too fat, your dog does not get enough exercise.

I am sure there are less stressful ways to potty train a dog I just do not know them yet. Keep in mind the purpose of all this. Puppy training period.

Later after he is potty trained and an adult, which hapens all too quickly, the problem becomes him expecting the same middle of the night walk just for kicks. This is a no-no, unless of course your lifestyle includes rolling out of bed at 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning. Do not laugh, I have a friend that does this but she is like an Energizer Bunny. Not me though and my dogs are a little more civilized.


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## Robert Hudson

So I don't have to worry he's not going every time we go out? thats a relief!

Thanks Catherine! He'll meet your dogs sometime I'm sure!


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## JanS

Well, it sounds like he's already taking to the crate well, so that's really good news. That's perfect that you found one of them with a divider too, so you can adjust it as he grows. Being a smaller dog, you probably won't have to get another one since you got the divider.
With our Dobe, we are now on crate #4, which is the giant size and the biggest they make. :shock: With each new purchase we kept thinking "this should be the last one now that he's almost grown". Finally at 1.5 years later..... 

You're definitely off to a good start by the sounds of what you're doing, so you should have yourself a perfect best friend.


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## Cliff Mayes

Canine growth is interesting, it kind of parallels ours except it is a lot faster.

All dogs start off small but almost all, by the time they are six months old, are tall but skinny. Elbows and legs are dominant here as the pup fills out for the next year, or so, and the young dog (and us) deals with adolescence. Then comes adulthood which is a whole nother story.


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## Tex Gal

Good luck Robert. Both my dogs are crate trained. They learned pretty fast. Of course we still had accidents once in a while up until about a year old. They got few and far between the older they got. As they grow they can stay out of the crate more. I always let them stay out and played with them for about 15-20 min IF they went potty. If not, it was right back in the crate.

My dogs are now 5 (Aussie) and 7 (Dobe). The 7 year old purposefully has accidents if we don't notice her sitting by the door. We have to go out and make her go potty (we command it again and send her back out into the grass)! She's a little neurotic - doesn't like "wet" grass, "long" grass, rain, the cold..... little miss priss!


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## cs_gardener

Beautiful dogs TexGal! I completely understand about prissy dogs. My first dog was a long-haired dachshund/cocker spaniel mix and he _hated_ going out to potty in rainy weather. He'd stand on the sidewalk for a bit and then try to come back inside. I'd have to pick him up and place him on the grass. He'd go where he stood and then jump back onto the sidewalk, flicking his paws like a cat does. You'd think I was trying to kill him by making him go on wet grass.


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## davemonkey

Here's a couple shots of Roscoe, our "Lab Mix"...or whatever he is. The first is his puppy pic at 6 months, the other is at a year-and-a-half:



















-Dave


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## JanS

Cute dogs TexGal and Davemonkey!

TexGal, I had no idea that you had a Dobe too.  Ours is a big wimp when it comes to getting wet too....


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## Tex Gal

Thanks CS and Jan. We call Zeke - zoomin' Zeke and the dobe we call "Timid Tess". They are quite a pair.

Robert how's the training thing coming?


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## Robert Hudson

I love your guys dogs! It seems to be getting better already as I start to get into a regular routine. He's going now, but mostly in the morning and evening. Its amazing to me how long he keeps it in through out the day.

I bought a 10 foot by 5 foot kennle for the back of my apartment. I thought that way I would have a contained area for him to go potty in, otherwise he just runs all over the place, and next summer I may keep him in it for short periods of time during the day.

I can see potential behavioral problems. He barks aggressively, not playfully, at anything that comes in his path... people, kids, little kids, dogs, whatever. He scared a little girl as she walked by. That worries me. I will also need to train him to walk on a leash. If anyone knocks on the door, he goes nuts barking and growling. Its rather comical considering his size, but it worries me. My cat and Buster seem to trade who is in charge. Sometimes the cat chases him, and a couple times he has chased the cat. Never a dull moment! I need to watch the dog wisperer!


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## Cliff Mayes

Dogs, people, Fish...in fact every living critter is a unique individual. Who knows what anything will turn out to be.

My Brother had a Lab that would only urinate once a day, but when he went it seemed like forever.

It is normal for confined animals to act aggressive. My friend had a Chessie that I would not go near when he was chained but off the chain he was as nice as could be. Dogs protect their property, owner, etc. so that is normal. If the dog turns out to be vicious then the only choice is euthanasia.

Speaking of Labs the AKC is registering incredible numbers of Lab puppies each year and unfortunately back in 1998 well over 100,000 Rotts were registered, probably by well meaning but ignorant people that thought they were going to get rich selling Rott puppies. This is probably why there are so many mongrels with Rott and Lab heritage. The attributes that each breed was created for have a tendency to show up in progeny, both good and bad for our purposes.

Use the crate! The dog will enjoy it and it will save you a lot of grief.


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## Tex Gal

You need to tune in to the Dog Wisperer. He is amazing. He will help you understand what's going on with the barking and "potential bad behavior" issues. If you establish yourself early as the pack leader and let him know what is acceptable and what's not he'll feel safe and stop that stuff. You just need to do something to snap him out of it- like redirecting. They can only pay attention to one thing at a time. Try to tune in. You'll get the idea. His methods really work.


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## Minsc

Cliff Mayes said:


> If the dog turns out to be vicious then the only choice is euthanasia.


Nonsense. My friends had a dog that became vicious to strangers before they knew how to handle it properly. After six months of rigidly following Cesar Millan's methods they have an extremely well behaved pup.

I know many people have issues with his methods, but the results are spectacular. Dogs _ want to behave_, aggression and behavioural problems are caused by confusion.


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## Tex Gal

Minsc said:


> I know many people have issues with his methods, but the results are spectacular. Dogs _ want to behave _, aggression and behavioural problems are caused by confusion.


Ditto... double ditto!


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## davemonkey

Minsc said:


> Nonsense. My friends had a dog that became vicious to strangers before they knew how to handle it properly. After six months of rigidly following Cesar Millan's methods they have an extremely well behaved pup.
> 
> I know many people have issues with his methods, but the results are spectacular. Dogs _ want to behave_, aggression and behavioural problems are caused by confusion.


Triple ditto.  My dog growled (in a mean way) at strangers when we first got him. But I would reprimand him with just a firm, yet soft voice. After awhile he would just watch how I or my wife and kids interacted with people. Now he is playful and accepting of just about everyone we meet. He is still wary of people walking behind our house in the alley when we are not in the yard with him, but I see that as a good thing. He's a wonderful family pet, but also a really good watch-dog.

-Dave


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## JanS

Quadruple ditto.... LOL!

I watch The Dog Whisperer every week and he makes a ton of sense, and I've learned a lot just by trying his methods.

Robert, it would be a good idea to get him into some sort of a puppy socialization class too. This is the perfect age to get him out and used to different people and dogs.


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## JanS

How are things coming Robert? 
Is he settling into his routine now that he's been with you for a little over a week?


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## Robert Hudson

YEs! I love the dog wisperer and have been watching his show off and on for months before I got the dog. I want to go to his WEB site and get his CDs.

He seems to be settling in just fine. In fact I was real happy until sunday when I took him to visit my Mom. He went pee on her bed! Thats been the only accident since I started using the crate... at least that I know of. He could pee so quickly in my house out of sight I would never see it. It started raining this weekend here, and he was more reluctant to go outside or walk on the grass, but for the most part it was not a problem. I don't let him out of the crate in my office. I walk him about a block to an open field to go and he has found a spot in the weeds he likes there. He is also able to run around a bit there before I take him back to the office. He still barks at my UPS driver! At home I just let him out in my back yard. At night I try not to go out with him and just stand at the door. No more night time walks either.


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## JanS

I'm glad to hear he's coming along. That's great if he found a favorite spot to do his thing.
He may have just peed on your Mom's bed because it's a new place, or he was a little nervous.

The UPS driver is just a given with dogs - it's their civil duty to bark at them. LOL!


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## Robert Hudson

Well I found four different poopies in my living room and kitchen last night, behind furniture and what not, and not exactly fresh, so I guess he hasn't been doing as well as I thought. I am not going to let him out of his cage for as long anymore.


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## houseofcards

Nice pup! Just confine him to the kitchen and crate if possible. Some dogs take up to a year to stop having accidents. I was alittle spoiled with my dog since she was already crate trained when I got her from the breeder at 10 weeks old, but I still confined her to the kitchen when i wasn't around. As others have mentioned they learn pretty quickly. Here's a pic of mine as a pub:


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## JanS

Yeah, the poopies can be expected from time to time with pups. As consistent as you've been in getting him outside, he'll catch on before you know it.



houseofcards said:


> Here's a pic of mine as a pub:


Is that a Sheltie? We have one of the little darlings too. She's yappy, but otherwise well behaved - in fact to the point of being boring....


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## Robert Hudson

Thats a great looking dog H O Cs !! 

Buster is also getting into everything! Pulling trash out of the garbage can to play with or chew on! Anything paper he shreds, he chewed up one of my slippers just like the old stereo type! He literally crawled under a couch to pull out the stuffing! By the shoe laces he dragged my shoes across the room, clothes, socks, an unopened bottle of asprin and the grossest thing of all, he picked out cat turds from the litter box to chew on them! Oh and now he has learned how to play tug of war, with the leash! :slywink:


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## JanS

LOL! By the time he's 3 years old or so he should settle down....:bounce:

Boris is going on 2 and just a few minutes ago I had to go clean up a paper towel he pulled out of the trash and shredded....
It really helps to gate off an area like the kitchen off when he's out of his crate so he doesn't learn he can run the house and destroy anything in his path.


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## cs_gardener

The crate is definitely your best friend right now. My hound Ryan was about 8 months old when I adopted him from the humane society and he was a one dog wrecking crew. He was also big enough to counter surf. His crate saved us both. 

Five years later he still doesn't have the run of the house when I'm gone. I keep him confined to the back hallway where he can't get into (much) trouble. Hopefully Buster will calm down better than Ryan has done. For now if you can't watch him, crate him or at least confine him to a small area. Your sanity will thank you.


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## Robert Hudson

I can see the advantage of confinement! I live in a 2 bdrm apartment, and unfortunetly the kitchen dining area that opens up to the living room is way too wide for any kind of a gate. Basically its when he is in play mode, he just tears around searching for something to play with or chew on until he tires out and flops down, usually on my lap or shoulders, and goes to sleep.


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## Cliff Mayes

The crate is never to be used as punishment!

Any time the dog does something it needs to be looked at from the dogs point of view. Going to sleep on you, standing on your foot or leaning against you may be cute but in general the dog is trying to gain dominance over you. This can be looked at as good or bad, depending on what type of relationship you consider correct for you.

The original reason for the crate was to potty train the dog, quickly and with as little force as possible. Usually this can happen in as little as 24 hours but can take as long as 48 hours with re-training sometimes required.

The Dog Whisperer is quite a good Behaviorist. Not all of us are that good but all of his methods can work.

Try not to use fear or force and think in terms of a creature that learns very fast but that never forgets. A Dog is not a human. Dogs are different than us but they are designed to be our companions and they still have their own life to lead.


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## houseofcards

JanS said:


> Yeah, the poopies can be expected from time to time with pups. As consistent as you've been in getting him outside, he'll catch on before you know it.
> 
> Is that a Sheltie? We have one of the little darlings too. She's yappy, but otherwise well behaved - in fact to the point of being boring....


You know your dogs. Yes she's a sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog). I know the breed has a rep for being yappy, but mine only barks when someones at the door of if she get's excited and yes she is well behaved, but still has that fun spark in her when we play. Alittle annoying she nipes (lightly) at ankles sometimes since she has retained the hearding instict that she was breed for. Robert I would try to use something to gate him(boxes, etc.) It just will reduce the stress factor. Once their trained you could let them go anywhere without to much worry. My dog had one accident recently when we left her alone for 8 hours and she just had to go.


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## JanS

Ugh, I wish our Sheltie would only bark when someone comes to the door. That shrill yap is enough to send you right through the ceiling. :shock:

Robert, we have wide openings too, and this is the gate we use.
Maxi gate


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## houseofcards

JanS said:


> Ugh, I wish our Sheltie would only bark when someone comes to the door. That shrill yap is enough to send you right through the ceiling. :shock:
> 
> Robert, we have wide openings too, and this is the gate we use.
> Maxi gate


Just like people and aquascapes, all dogs are different. One breeder I went to had a bunch of shelties with a very toned down bark. She told me they had an de-barking operation that gets rid of the "shrill yap" your referring to that can travel for miles. She told me the dog doesn't know the difference but of course people do.


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## Robert Hudson

Last night he actually, quite clearly asked to go outside! He ran up to the patio door and ran around in circles until I opened the door and let him out! He went out, did his business, and ran back inside again! I was so proud I almost cried. He's turning me into one of those dorky people who treat their dog like its their child and I don't care! :nerd: I am not putting any foo foo clothes on him, ever. I did get him a spiked collar.... and a tennis ball that says air doggie on it.... oh god I'm hopeless!


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## JanS

That's great news Robert! Congratulations!


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## oblongshrimp

Glad to hear the house training is going well. My parents always used the crate technique with all our dogs and it does work very well. The key is that whenever they are not in the crate you must not take your eyes off them. That way if they do go on your floor your right there to correct them and take them outside.


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## Robert Hudson

I thought I would give you guys an update;

For the last couple weeks I have not put him in the crate at all during the day or evening, (at home)! He has not had any more accidents in the house, and he is going like clockwork outside!

I have been keeping him in the crate at night because I was afraid he would otherwise go while I was sleeping, but a week ago I went to sleep in my living room chair with him in my lap and when I woke up the next day I did not find any evidence of accidents! But there is another problem with not putting him in his crate at night... he has chewed big holes in my mattress and the comforter on my bed. So that is an issue I have to somehow address.

Also at work in my office I keep him in the crate all day, but I let him out for a walk outside about every two or three hours. I don't know if I can trust him not to go potty in one of the four rooms, but he also chews on everything and I can not constantly watch him and get any work done at the same time, so I don't know how to address that issue exactly.


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## JanS

I'm glad to hear he's coming along so nicely Robert. I was wondering how he's doing.

The chewing is _very_ common in younger dogs, so about all you can do is provide him with lots of chew toys to distract him, and remove anything in his area that you don't want to risk losing. If he chews the mattress when you're sleeping, he needs to go back to his own crate until he can be trusted not to do it when you're obviously not able to stop him. We lost a few blankets that way ourself. 

About all you can do otherwise is keep him crated or confined to a smaller area when you're trying to get your work done the same way we do when we go to work. 
Our Doberman just turned 2 and he still has his moments and knows the minute we turn our back, so he stays in the kitchen/dining area or in his crate until he's adult enough to get past that stage.

How old is your little guy now?


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## Tex Gal

I supplied my dogs, when puppies with many types of chew bones, including the greenies. That seemed to keep them busy and off my furniture and such. We most always crate them at night and they are 7 & 5. Sometimes if I'm out several hours I will crate them as well.


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## Robert Hudson

Well two nights of not crating was a disaster. He peed and pooped all over the place and refused to even step outside! I broke the routine, and messed him up I guess, so its back to crating at night

I was trying to figure that out... I think hes' about 5 1/2 months, he was three and a half when I got him, according to the previous owner. I went to a vet clinic at petsmart. I just about died of shock.. they told me 200 to 300 dollars to be nuetered, 35 dollars per shot for a whole set of boosters, plus de worming, a physical, plus office visit, and my left foot... like a thousand bucks or something close! I don't think so! There has to be a cheaper way to have him taken care of.


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## Phil Edwards

Call your SPCA or Humane Society. Tell them you took the dog off someone who couldn't take care of it and need to get it taken care of. Often times they have subsidies available to do all that stuff at a discount.

Happy New Year!
Phil


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## houseofcards

Robert maybe this has something for you

http://www.spayusa.org/


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## Robert Hudson

Thanks guys! I finally got a hold of the previous owner of Buster and found out what mix he is!

His mother was a pug beagle mix, and the father was a corgy/american eskimo mix! I am told an eskimo is like a smaller pure white husky, you can't see any of that in Buster! The mother was 21 pounds and the father 23 pounds. I don't know which breed is giving him his aggression. I was begining to think he was part pit. I am relieved to know he is a mix of small dogs! At least he doesn't howl like a beagle!


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## cs_gardener

I had an American eskimo from the Humane Society, a beautiful pure white 27 lb dog that looked soooo huggable and he snapped at absolutely everyone except me for the first year that I had him. We finally overcame it through time, training (getting lots of different people to give him a special treat when he sat calmly - with a warning not to try to pet him when we started out of course), and lots of patience. He was already quite old when I adopted him, about 10 years old, so he must have had some bad history that we had a good bit of trouble working past. He finally got to the point of being relatively friendly. The eskies I've met have all tended to be somewhat reserved when meeting new people, but none have been so snappish as Nick. They are good alerters, making certain you know when someone is near your house. Eskies were never used for sledding even though they look like little huskies, they've always been companions and watchdogs.

I think your biggest problem with Buster is a need for thorough socialization with a lot of different people and situations. Have you found a puppy class for him yet? The more he gets out and meets other people and dogs the better. Don't wait too long as it's harder to rehabilitate a dog than to train a pup right from the start. 

p.s. You're very lucky he doesn't have a beagle "bugle" - my neighbors beagle/poodle mix is loud enough to wake the dead.


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## Cocobid

Robert this can be a long process. You might try to find a local trainer. Our neighbor has 2 Irish Setters, one they could not get under control with jumping, running and a host of social naughties LOL. The trainer come over a few times and I saw the neighbors walking him yesterday, he said we are "walking" something that they had not been able to do before.

This is potty trained!!!!










She is 20+, When she needs "to go" will start saying HI rapidly, doing a little hopping around or stopping what she is doing. If we are in our living room she will (hard to explain) look at the door and beg to go out. Basically she has us trained...but it works. The only accidents she has is when she is excited or feels threatened. 
OH on a side note she barks.....if someone is out side!!! 
If she is outside and barking she will rile up a neighborhood of dogs...

Well good luck
Karen


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## houseofcards

Nice cockatoo. Are you saying your bird is potty trained. Don't birds go like every 10 minutes?


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## vancat

That's cool your bird is poop trained. Have you had her all 20 years?


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## joycould

houseofcards said:


> Nice cockatoo. Are you saying your bird is potty trained. Don't birds go like every 10 minutes?


 I have a quaker parrot that is abut 6 years old. He is pretty well potty trained. He gets off me and goes to his cage and then poops I have a paper on the floor in front of it he usually hits and one place in my bedroom where he likes to go. No they don't go every 10 minutes lol it only seems that way until they learn if they poop on you they have to go to their cage.

On the subject of dogs if you have animal planet with a one dog wrecking crew watch a few shows of Me or the Dog. 
As far as getting he neutered check google low cost clinics in the your area and you can get it done for a lot cheaper. They require the dog to be up to date on shots. 
I try to stay away from petsmart/petco vets, when I was going to have my boy rabbit neutered they asked a small fortune and asking several questions I found out the vet that does the work wasn't even on site.


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## vancat

Yeah, birds are smart, huh? I just bought a book about that amazing African Grey parrot, Alex. Haven't read it yet.

Not really news: Pets are expensive. Dogs and cats have to be neutered. Dogs have to be trained, and are pretty high-maintenance.


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## Robert Hudson

Great looking bird! I had small birds growing up, keets and cockitiels. They chewed and pooped everywhere! My aunt had a couple parakeets, and she put drop cloths over everything... lampshades, furniture, it was disgusting!

I went to the vet Catherine recommended, and they are so much cheaper than Petsmart! Instead of 300 dollars to be neutered, its $69! The shots are way lower priced too! So I am getting his shots today, and scheduling a time to have his surgery. 

Buster now has his own facebook page! LOL

I watch me or the dog and I also watch the dog wisperer. I got one of his books for christmas


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## Cocobid

Robert I found out something recently, we knew our local animal control & Humane Society can provide low cost pet care. But to my surprise they will chip your pets. Ours here in Fort Worth $10. I asked our vet and he wanted something like 58. With pet care I do think I pays to shop around. 

The Tooo well she is 24 years old have had her since she was 3. Very smart, sometimes to smart. 
I could start a blog of her shenanigans LOL 

One day Buster will be a stellar house mate....


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## Robert Hudson

Yeah, thats another thing I've been thinking about, is getting him chipped.

Well yesterday he got his shots, de wormed, and rabbis shot and a check up. He's in fine health, and 16 pounds. In three weeks he gets his last round of shots, and he will be neutered at the same time! He also has a fifth toe on his upper hind legs that the vet recommended be removed. He said they serve no purpose and often get caught and torn off anyway.

He behaved fairly well at the vets office and it was crowded with dogs and people. We sat next to a dobie that towered over him, and he didn't bark much or lunge at him. The dobie was real mellow, if he had been aggressive Buster would have gone nuts. So he is making progress! When the weather gets nicer I will bring him to a doggie park.


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## cs_gardener

Glad to hear you made it through the vet trip okay. My hound Ryan is always so excited at the vets he starts baying and he tries every way he can to get behind the counter to say hello to everyone (he once tried climbing over the counter when I was distracted looking for something in my purse). The vet's office is one of his favorite places ever and it shows. Any manners I've tried to teach him go out the window and it's a struggle to get him to be quiet. If there's a wait I usually take him back outside for a while to try and avoid letting him get so overexcited.

There are always some people and their dogs at the off-leash park at Minto Brown. I'm one of the crazy die-hards that are out all year regardless of weather. It would probably be easier at this time of year as there aren't so many people there and it wouldn't be so overwhelming to him.


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## Robert Hudson

Well I know he wouldn't care if it was snowing or raining, or cold, but I would!

Here is some more photos from his facebook page!




























Thats a pig ear he is chewing on. He loves that thing! All those bits of paper and things you see is all his doing too!


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## cs_gardener

He's adorable! He really doesn't take after any one of the breeds, does he? Very handsome mix though.

Oh c'mon now, a little drizzle never hurt anyone. Are you or aren't you an Oregonian? Of course, you'd need a long line at the off-leash field or you might never get him back with so much around to sniff and explore. At least he's not big. When we started out Ryan pulled me over a few times before we got the hang of things.


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