/ot/ - off-topic

Fork out the cash for a dog training class. It's expensive, but you'll learn a lot. even a place like petsmart is useful, utilizes positive reinforcement, teaches you not to coddle your dog and turn it into an aggressive shitlord, and is good socialization.

Oh yeah, and socialize your dog a LOT.

Feed them high quality feed
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

Be prepared to be extra extra attentive to them. Train your dog from the get go. Don't stop.

Socialize them. That means puppy training classes and a dog park when they get a tad older

Realize the vet is fucking expensive and you need to bring them often when young

Trainer if need be

Be stern but kind

Even with a yard, give your dog at least one long walk a day.
go to /an/

I sound like a cunt but my experience with dogs is exclusively with semi working breeds and hard headed little shits. I had to train a 100 lbs rottie out of jumping on you.

Feed your dog raw food, sometimes it is even cheaper than kibbles if you know where to find it. I am able to buy 100% chicken meat, cow meat, fish, heart etc.. Solely for dog consumption and it is dirt cheap (Well for dog food it is). Perhaps even in your local supermarket they might have chicken for dogs in the freezer for less than a dollar. As for the vegetables we all know where we can find it for cheap i think. Take your dog everywhere with you as much as you can, thats the best socialization she can get. Walk her a lot. BUY A BENCH. Give her enough toys to distract her so she wont munch on your shoes. Also, if you dont want her to destroy your stuff make all the stuff she isnt allowed to destroy out of her reach.

Okay, so I've had dogs all my life so maybe I can help a bit. Socialize them if you want a friendly dog. My husky is super friendly, but my dogo is not as he is a guard dog. The people I want him to be friendly around I bring him around, but other than than I avoid letting people around him.
If you have have an amazon prime you can get some pretty great deals on natural healthy dog food.
Also, if you are getting a puppy…like a new puppy it's good to get them on a routine of when they wake up take them out, or take them to their puppy pad to do their business.

>>77745
Got it. For some background, I'm getting my friend's 3 yo dog who she can't keep because of work, but I'm not sure what kind of training (or any) she gave him. So I will definitely find out and look into local classes and other socialization opportunities.

I'm also courting a guy who has a dog of his own in need of socialization, so there is that too.

>>77748
Definitely, dogs are hard work. You don't sound at all like a cunt. I've met too many people who didn't bother training their yappy dogs or walking their fat dogs, and even when I didn't plan on having a dog, it really bothered me.

>>77757
For sure. I never thought about raw food, actually.

>>77760
As mentioned above, the dog is about 3 yo, so not starting from a clean slate, but hopefully is somewhat trained. Will keep everything in mind.

>>77770
Your a good friend. Just make sure he is up to date on his shots, while it's harder for older dogs to get parvo it can happen.

I'm told you're not supposed to buy them from puppy farms (or whatever they're called). I always look on rescue sites for my dream breed that refer you to licensed breeders in your state.
Get those vaccinations. My brother had a puppy that died a terrible death because of some shit it ate in the backyard.

Give them fresh bones, never cook your bones cos they will splinter or give your dog the fake ones from the shops. Just FRESH bones.

No chocolate only dog chocolate which is for them

Fresh water every day

Don't fuck up training it in the first few years of its life or it'll be a pain forever
I love my dog, but my family did a bad job when she was a puppy and now she has a lot of issues. Still love her though

>>77745
Petsmart training worked for my dog! So I agree with this and one of our three family dogs went through the training aswell! Another thing I really believe in is dental care! Start brushing their teeth right away. I prefer the toothbrush over the finger brush! My vet always tells me that my dog who is three has perfect teeth! Plus teeth decay can be a cause of a early death! Man, I can go on forever! I work with dogs my whole life, I work with dogs now!
Avoid wet food, or soft food because it cakes on their teeth compared to dry that helps scrap away gunk. I just do the puppy training class, I didn't go through all the stages! Also do a harness for walking, a normal leash, not those ones where people let their dog run around wildly.

Vaccinations, chip, GPS.
I've dealt with my dogs getting stolen before, so I'm very paranoid about this.
High quality food with no grains and no fillers. It will help your dog live longer and be healthier.
If it's small enough, give it baths up to 4 times a month. If it's big enough and you can't do it on your own, send it to a groomer. Especially if your dog goes outside/lives in a dirty area/is long haired.
Puppies are hard to train. I strongly recommend that you consider adopting. It saves you all the messes and the huge amount of time working with a puppy is. I would consider raising a puppy to be a summer/winter break hobby. You need to devote enough time to it like it's a human child to give it the good foundations it needs.
My first dog was adopted. He was like 13lbs, was potty trained and knew how to sit. That was all.
My dog now, which was a stray on the side of the road and is 70lbs, listens to my every command, is eager to learn, can sit, stay, wait, do tricks, heels and sits on walks, etc. You have to establish to them that you are the pack leader and show them where the boundaries are. You also must remain trustworthy to them. Feeding them at the same time every day and night does wonders for a dog's security. Never hit your dog. Pushing, tapping on the muzzle/nose area is fine. Praise it every time it does something "good" and scold/negatively reinforce every time it does something "bad". You can learn this from many guides online, or by paying some money and real-time experiencing how to train with your dog while it's with you.
Training your dog will not only make your life infinitely easier with this dog, but knowing what it can and can't do with you in command makes it feel secure in the pack and protects it from avoidable mistakes ("Leave it!" is your dog tries to chase a cat across the street, or eat your pills off the floor)
As long as you work hard and well with your dog's personality, it will be a loving, caring, loyal, obedient, and memorable companion – all because of the work you put in to make it happen.

source: i love my dog ;o;

>>77783
But don't freak out over chocolate either. If they accidently had a tiny chunk of milk confectionary it isn't going to do anything more than make your dog feel uncomfotable for a couple of hours. For there to be a noticeable effect they'd have to eat more than an entire bar.

>>77771
>>77779
Vet/shots are not something I'm particularly looking forward to, tbh. I'm going to be so paranoid about everything the dog could catch.

Apparently my soon-to-be dog's breed is popular enough that puppy mills have started breeding tons of them who turn out with major health/behavioral issues. I'm pretty nervous about this.

>>77783
Why is this?

>>77838
Hadn't even occurred to me that you need to brush a dog's teeth. I've heard about harnesses being good for walks/outside training.

>>77851
omg. GPS tracking…I'm learning something new with each comment here. Thank you for the detailed tips.

Be consistent with training. Choose your commands and hand signals, and never change them.
Train everyday, even when the dog is super awesome at all of it.

Give the dog good food, the best you can afford.

Check your yard and remove any poisonous plants your pup may have a munch on, and block any gaps where it could escape or get stuck.

Look up how dogs communicate, like, the language of how they move their paws, ears, and hackles. Their behavior, fear and pain signals, and all that sort of stuff. Its a lot easier to train and just live together if you can work out what your dog is saying to you.

Discuss how much to feed the dog with your vet at the preliminary checkup so you don't accidentally over or under feed it. Fat dogs are sad suffering dogs.

I'll give you this my friend
http://canigivemydog.com
And a tip, if you get a small puppy and it can't go to sleep alone, dont sleep with him! You can fill a bottle with warm watter, and put it under the pup's bedding to get extra warm, also, put a clock with it too. The rhythmic sound will emulate its mother's heartbeat and it will calm him greatly. And the rest, I've never spend too much money on my dogs and they're always healthy, mostly because they're mixed, I've heard that some fancy breeds are more delicate than others and need special treats and such but welp, just love them and they will love you back… And walk them regularly, some dogs are very energetic and can get anxious/destructive without some kind of exercise.

Idk what breed or size you're getting, so I'll just write about small dogs since I've only ever had small dogs as a child (and have a papillon as an adult). If you can, get your dog from a shelter!!! I got mine from a shelter, and he's the happiest, friendliest, and most loyal dog I've had (he was found starving on the street, eating rocks, and covered in dreads). You never know how much you're changing that dog's life for the better.

>If possible, enroll it in discipline classes asap
You can potty train it on your own, but sometimes it doesn't work (aka my Mom's dog) and in hindsight training classes cost less than replacing a rug 3 times. Plus, if you get a dog with an attitude a trainer will nip that in the butt.

>Walk it every day, or take it to a dog park
Half of the reason small dogs are seen as little assholes is because owners don't walk them enough. The exercise will make them happy and grow the bond between you too, with the dog recognizing that you two are partners. Plus it's a ton of fun to go on hikes and adventures just you and your dog.

>Start socializing it as soon as possible
If you keep your dog away from meeting other dogs and humans, they'll become territorial and more prone to being a dick. Like I said above, take your dog on walks and to the park daily so it can get used to being pet by strangers and having other dogs smell it.

>Discipline bad behavior
And now for the other half of why most people think little dogs are assholes; owners treat them like human babies and ignore bad behavior. Nipping/biting, growling, territorial behavior, etc. should NOT be ignored! Don't just brush it off or say "Awww my baby is cranky :(" That shit doesn't fly. There's plenty of disciplinary sources online for what does and doesn't work.

>Feed your dog something bedsides kibble
I know not everyone can do this daily, but try to put some boiled chicken or baby carrots in with kibble.

>Play with your dog
I feel like I shouldn't even have to say this but SO many people don't even play with their dog. Besides a daily walk/trip to the park, get your dog a basket of toys it can pick from. Get your dog a ball/rope for outside, a toy you can play with together, and something that can keep a dog preoccupied for a long time (sound toys are great, my dog has a monkey that talks that he will play with forever).

>Wrestle your dog
People probably think "wtf you can't wrestle a little dog" but yes you can, and if you have a hyper creature like I do it's awesome. Obviously, don't be too rough or do anything that makes it angry. It'll help you bond more and if your dog starts playing too hard, assert your dominance and show it that you're in charge. It's a good way to play while showing that you're still the one in charge.

>Let them be a dog
Let your dog chase squirrels and catch bugs. Let it roll in the grass and smell everything. Don't be a dick and pull on its leash to hurry up; enjoy your time with your friend, and enjoy moving slowly, experiencing a simple life like it does. Some of my favorites memories with my dog are the moments when he just wanted to stop and smell the air; so we did. I watched the sky, smelled the flowers, and took in the moments of peace. If your dog gets dirty, just let it be a damn dog and give it a bath when you get home. And with that…

>Give your dog a damn bath
It's not that hard, especially with a little dog. You got a sink? Cool you're halfway there. Get some dog shampoo and give it a bath. It takes less than 3 minutes and I have no idea why people think it's such a chore. Also, the sooner you start bathing your dog and make it a common thing, the more relaxed your dog will be. Just give it a damn bath it's not that hard.

Good luck with your dog! I know it seems like a lot but it's really not. I get genuinely upset at how badly people treat their dogs when they're supposed to be our buddies. My dog is genuinely my best friend and a pretty cool guy. Hope you can find a great friend too!

I have a pure bed Shar Pei and she requires a lot of upkeep some other breeds don't necessarily need. The best thing you can do is just a lot of research about the kind of dog you're getting. Mine was supposed to be a good guard dog and a good apartment dog. She's perfect living in an apartment, but she sucks as a guard dog. So, even some things you read up on may not necessarily be true for the pup you get.

>>77923
>>77986
>>78016
>>78022
Thank you so much, anons.

>>78774
Hope everything goes well with your new puppy friend!

>>78776
Thank you! I can't wait.

I'm super worried about my puppy and socializing him.

He's a chihuahua mix and he didn't get his first round of vaccines until 8 weeks, so I can't take him outside for like another month until he gets all of them. He's so damn small too, I don't want to risk him getting sick since with such a tiny body.

I'm going to try to encourage people to visit my house a lot (he's doing well meeting new people so far) and set up play dates with his biological family dogs since we got him from a friend.

Do any anons have experience sucessfuly socializing a small dog?

If you're getting a small breed please do the people around you a favor and properly train it unlike most other small breed owners.

>>77779
Seconding this for any future dog owner, please rescue. There's enough homeless dogs that if you want a certain breed, it's out there. Mills owners are the lowest scumbags. They know it's wrong, they will trick you. Some advertise online with stock photos and have staged homes set up when they give you the dog. They'll sometimes even have two healthy dogs pose as the parents while the real overbred mothers with dragging nipples are trapped in a 3 foot tall wire bottom cage out back. This is also why you should never have an animal shipped to you. 'Teacup' breeders are famous for shipping out their suffering puppies. Your inbred puppy will grow up to have a bad bite which is painful for them and if it doesn't have wet brain before adulthood, it can go full wacky as young as 4 and turn on you.
Also, never forget that Pet Shop suppliers are mills too.

On that note, there are a few exceptions:
-If you live in an area where a breed is unpopular. Chances are there may be a respectable dog breeder nearby or even in a neighboring state. My mother has gotten both German Rottweilers she's owned from a very reputable breeder. She's seen the parents for her pups and the living conditions of all other of the woman's bitches and studs. It's a palace. Good tip when looking for breeders is if they state that they're willing to take back any dogs that come up with health issues at any time, even full grown dogs. That is a person that cares about quality of not only the breed they provide, but the dog's life. Also they should always come with vaccines or be willing to provide their beginning vet care.
-If it's an accident litter emergency listed in the newspaper, Craigslist, etc. Chances are it'll be a mixed breed, but still always see the parents and the home to make sure they're good dogs. You NEVER pay an adoption fee for these dog, huge red flag if they ask.

>>77838
I'm a dog groomer and I spent all day inhaling dog breath, thank you very much for brushing your pupper's teeth.
There are many dogs that are way too young that come in for grooming with such bad tooth decay the smell turns my stomach. We once bathed a tiny little old Yorkie with an underbite that had dark blue gummy looking bottom front teeth when it came in, and when we were cleaning the tub drain after bathing her we found all four of them in it and I had to go home early because I vomited.
They all just came out.
They just came OUT.

>>79051
Nobody replied but just as a heads up for any other puppy people

I did some research and I'm pretty sure vets say not to take puppies out till all 3 shots go cover their asses. I found a local puppy play group that only requires the first shot and deworm. Yay!

Do you all recommend me to get a whiteish creamish longhaired chihuahua puppy or a pug? I was thinking of a pug but a longhaired chihuhua as so many advantages sch as: minimal shedding, I can take her everywhere with me so she can enjoy fresh air and socialize with people, less expensive because it barely eats and the breed in general is healthier than a pug. But imo a pug is so much cuter ;_;

>>81087
I've got two dogs, a pug (Winston) and a dachshund (Rose), so idk if that helps in comparison. But Winston has a lot more sinus problems and I have to keep a closer eye on his weight than Rose, because she is SO much more active than he is. He also goes to the vets more because pugs do have anal sac problems and have to get them cleared out every once in a while. They get congested very easily as well, which is kind of heart breaking to heart them snort around so much :( They are very lovable dogs though, you've just got to be ready to stay on top of their health.

>>81091
So the chihuahua it is, thank you for telling me!

>>81087
Rescue a dog.
Pugs are halfway dead the day they're born due to being a fucked up breed.

Get a mutt. It will be healthy forever.


>>79350
Hey dog grooming anon, my dogs can literally only get their teeth brushed and their nails clipped when they're under anesthesia, so we don't do it.

We do exercise them and they run around a big backyard to wear down their nails, and they get given those dental treats, as well as bones, meat and dry food. Sometimes they eat fruit off the trees or cucumbers they steal from the vine.

Are they gonna have fucked up teeth? They're big ridgebacks if that matters.

>>81094
Not sure what you mean by bones, but giving your dog an animal antler or hoof chew will keep their teeth plaque free and stave off the decay that will come with it. There are a lot of people that use those in place of brushings and IMO it's effective enough to be a replacement. Especially if your dog gives you a hard time about it. I recommend the horns more than the hooves because the hooves have a awful smell when they're being chewed.
As far as them being ridgebacks, I haven't noticed any non-obvious breeds (dry-mouthed underbite bulldogs) being predisposed to any dental issues. It sounds like they have a very healthy diet which helps all around. Eventually over time every dogs teeth won't be so white or pretty, but as long as there isn't any untreated rot they'll stay healthy.

As far as the nails, without knowing how they look there isn't much to say. As long as they're not curly or splitting there shouldn't be a problem with letting them grind down naturally. Or even if they do their own nail upkeep, as long as they don't make themselves bleed. I only trim my own dog's dewclaws because she's so scared of the clippers that if I show them to her and she'll hide under the table for a half hour and come out with short nails.

>>81547
I've never heard of this but that shit looks gross!
My friend has a chihuahua corgi that constantly gets stuffed squeaky toys that she ends up destroying by the end of the week, leaving only the shell. I don't see how those toys are safe for dogs…I mean, what if they ingest the stuffing?

It's very bad for them to ingest stuffing as it can cause blockage and kill them if they're not brought to the emergency vet. Foam stuffed toys are even worse.
Though, if they're just a destructive dog that rips it apart and spreads the stuffing everywhere those toys are fine. Messy and a total waste of money, but fine.

>>81706
haha forgot to reply oops
>>81550

>>81550
My dog just liked to rip open stuffed animals and pull out the stuffing… she didn't eat it, she'd just stick her nose in there and pull it out but by bit. Then she plays with the shell.