[Fernweh]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the forum and I'm a dog lover even though I've never had a dog as a pet. A little ironic maybe, but I've spent a lot of time around other peoples dogs and really enjoy them. I know everyone else is doing all the hard work there, but I digress...

I wanted to pose a question to everyone and ask:

What were some of your mistakes or things you would change from how you raised/took care of your first dog(s)?
Would you have picked a different dog for your 'starter'?
Were there things you did then that you would absolutely never do now?

I'm just curious and I thought it would be fun to see where everyone started and how far they've come in understanding and loving their dogs.

 

[kmes]

Hmmm...
I just wish I would have done more socialization (you can never have enough!) and found a good trainer sooner.

 

[Criosphynx]

What were some of your mistakes or things you would change from how you raised/took care of your first dog(s)?

Patience. I had none. I was easily frustrated and was a 'do it now or I'll make you" type of owner. I lost my cool over things that wouldn't even faze me now. I guess I wanted a robot more than a companion. I never taught him a recall, so he could never be off leash. Which I think he would have liked.

Husbandry wise, I fed crappy food for a while, Science diet and iams.

Would you have picked a different dog for your 'starter'?

Heck no! He was the right size, right energy level, and tolerant of all the stupid things I did to him. I think he was an ideal starter dog.

Were there things you did then that you would absolutely never do now?

oh man, Iam a picture of patience now with my guys. Things that used to upset me wouldn't do a thing to me now. A dog begins to vomit and I catch it in my hands(to spare the carpet or bed), and then ask the dog if they are OK. Now thats love.

 

[GreatDaneMom]

What were some of your mistakes or things you would change from how you raised/took care of your first dog(s)?

i would have researched nutrition more in the beginning. after chloes HOD, i really really really educated myself about food. had i done that in the beginning, even though she already had it when i got her (we didnt know, we thought she was just calm) i maybe would have been able to stop the HOD before it got bad.

Would you have picked a different dog for your 'starter'?

nope. i fell in love with danes from the moment i got Chloe, and i will probably always own atleast one theyre everything ive always wanted in a dog.

Were there things you did then that you would absolutely never do now?

not to my dogs... no... but i wish i had learned about picking a good breeder before i got chloe. i def. would never buy from a BYB again.

 

[alfi]

I was using a lot of corrections trying to train the dog with the "you don't have other choice than to obey" ruining the relationship. I wish I had used the "what I say is your best choice" instead from the start. I remember me crying at nights.
And I didn't had too much patience!

No I wouldn't have picked a different dog.

I just wouldn't buy any of my dogs...I would go to a shelter.

 

[fawkese1]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the forum and I'm a dog lover even though I've never had a dog as a pet. A little ironic maybe, but I've spent a lot of time around other peoples dogs and really enjoy them. I know everyone else is doing all the hard work there, but I digress...

welcome

What were some of your mistakes or things you would change from how you raised/took care of your first dog(s)?
Would you have picked a different dog for your 'starter'?
Were there things you did then that you would absolutely never do now?

my list of mistakes is sort of long i'll try to stick to the big ones...

1 i would have adopted a dog that was a couple of years older 3-4 instead of less than one year. i feel like a more emotionally mature dog would have had less developmental changes... or possibly a younger puppy, that i could have made sure to socialize a lot, my dog was about 9-10mos old

2 i would have picked someone a little bit smaller... i love large breed dogs, but a large breed dog that is well socialized and taught manners from the start is quite a different thing from a 100+lb idiot, a smaller dog would honestly be a bit less "threatening" to deal with if he happened to have idiotic tendancies

3 i would NOT have wasted the first month or so trying to make the methods i was used to work for a dog that clearly wasn't capable of dealing with them... lol, if i had known then what i know now!

I'm just curious and I thought it would be fun to see where everyone started and how far they've come in understanding and loving their dogs.

this was a GREAT question! thank you for asking it! omg! my relationship with my dog is really awesome... not only that, i've learned SOOO MUCH about dogs in general from having to learn how to cope with his particular issues.... the best part is that the more i learn about him, the more i inadvertantly learn about myself... every success for him is also a success for me it feels really really rewarding to know that i can make a conscious, deliberate change in my behavior, and thus make such a huge impact on how my dog sees the world...

 

[Criosphynx]

but a large breed dog that is well socialized and taught manners from the start is quite a different thing from a 100+lb idiot

this needs one of these;


:rofl:

 

[TonkaTruckJK]

my list of mistakes is sort of long i'll try to stick to the big ones...

First, This.

the best part is that the more i learn about him, the more i inadvertantly learn about myself...

Then, This.

Finally, my list of mistakes.

1) Not doing nearly enough research about training / behavior modification before jumping in. I'll admit it, I was "Wow'd" by Caesar Milan - particularly, his show. I tried to emulate his behavior - and I didn't have a problem dog at ALL! Every little thing that he did, I was trying to correct. We've come a long way since then (Tonka and I).

2) Underestimating the activity needs of my dog. Almost 100% of his 'problem behavior' was due to frustration and not getting enough exercise.

3) Not finding this forum sooner...

4) Feeding poor foods for so long.

 

[ScentHound]

My first dog was a Black lab named Dutchess. I got her at a dude ranch when i was 5 years old. I can't really say I made any mistakes with her, because my mom was monitoring me all the time.

 

[Fernweh]

i would have researched nutrition more in the beginning. after chloes HOD, i really really really educated myself about food. had i done that in the beginning, even though she already had it when i got her (we didnt know, we thought she was just calm) i maybe would have been able to stop the HOD before it got bad.

I apologize for my newbiness, but what is HOD? And also BYB?

not to my dogs... no... but i wish i had learned about picking a good breeder before i got chloe. i def. would never buy from a BYB again.

I'm sure I'll be hip and down with all this fly lingo soon enough, but for now I'm lagging homeboys and girls. *ahem* Excuse me, I need to eat breakfast still.

 

[Cali]

Haha you'll get all the abbreviations soon enough.
Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD) is a bone disease that usually affects young, rapidly growing, large breed dogs
and a BYB is a backyard breeder
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Criosphynx]

heres a few more. That reminds me, we all should keep adding to this shorthand thread

http://www.dogforum.com/introductions/dog-forum-shorthand-sticky-5195/

 

[ScentHound]

What shorthand thread. I thought I was the only one that thought you guys couldn't type out a word properly.

OK, nevermind. I just clicked on the link and realized I should look before leaping.

 

[Criosphynx]

What shorthand thread. I thought I was the only one that thought you guys couldn't type out a word properly.

OK, nevermind. I just clicked on the link and realized I should look before leaping.

hey, it could have been a rick roll, so you never know.

 

[ScentHound]

When you are lurking around, I expect to be rick rolled at least once a day. Then add fawkes into the mix and I am so paranoid about clicking on things that I check the properties of every link, lol.

You guys are to good to me.

 

[omgitsapibble]

My biggest regret is socialization with Gage, who's only 18 months old. I got him at 12 weeks (3 months) old, and he had not had any vaccinations whatsoever from his previous owner. And I sheltered him too much for the first few months while he got caught up on his vaccines, because of my vet (who I worked for at the time) scaring me poopless about Parvo, that we missed out on a lot of socialization time. I socialized him quite a bit, but could've did a lot more. He grew up to be an amazing, loving, well-rounded little dog, but he has a little bit of fear issues with people he doesn't know, likely because I didn't socialize him enough as a puppy.

 

[gershepsmyfav]

We have had a lot of dogs in our lives. And the main thing we learned is patience with our fur kids. Things that we used to get upset about, doesn't bother us anymore. We have had a lot of German Shepherds and they are hair factories. But I just tell people whenever they see hair on my clothes that I had to bring my fur kids with me. If they make a mess, we don't say anything to them we just clean it up and worry more about if they might be sick. We never hit them. We used to give them swats. Not hard but we don't even do that anymore. We just talk to them and show them what we want. The Shepherd we have now we got from a BYB. She had been abused. She was so scared of so many things. But we worked with her with a lot of patience and kindness. She has overcome most of her fears. We really had to work with her. We would have made her fears worse if we hadn't been patient with her. If they do something that they shouldn't, all I have to do is tell them bad dog and point my finger at them. They go in a corner and hide until they think they are out of trouble.I don't stay mad at them long, I can't, they know how to look so cute that I end up laughing at them and hugging them.

 

[winniec777]

Mistakes? Made a million! Didn't recognize that we were dealing with a fearful puppy until after we acted on bad advice to flood her from 2 different trainers. Things didn't click for me until she was 2 years old and I attended a seminar with Patricia McConnell. Found her book Cautious Canine and finally realized what I was dealing with. Went on to read a lot more about it and talk to others who know about it. Holy cow, what a difference it has made. Makes me sad to think of the situations she must have found scary before we learned how to desensitize her to them.

Different dog? Nah. But I wish I had known how high energy she would turn out to be. It was a blast, but it made for very long days and little sleep for the first year. Patience and inventing lots of games to play with her got us through it.

 

[pawsitiveside]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the forum and I'm a dog lover even though I've never had a dog as a pet. A little ironic maybe, but I've spent a lot of time around other peoples dogs and really enjoy them. I know everyone else is doing all the hard work there, but I digress...

I wanted to pose a question to everyone and ask:

What were some of your mistakes or things you would change from how you raised/took care of your first dog(s)?
Would you have picked a different dog for your 'starter'?
Were there things you did then that you would absolutely never do now?

I'm just curious and I thought it would be fun to see where everyone started and how far they've come in understanding and loving their dogs.

What a great topic!

Are you planning on getting a dog?

I've never really had my own dog either. My parents have always had dogs and my boyfriend has one as well, so I haven't had the opportunity to really raise or pick out my own.

I enjoyed reading everyone's responses. I love the honesty and insight.

 

[Fernweh]

What a great topic!

Are you planning on getting a dog?

I've never really had my own dog either. My parents have always had dogs and my boyfriend has one as well, so I haven't had the opportunity to really raise or pick out my own.

I enjoyed reading everyone's responses. I love the honesty and insight.

I do plan on adopting my own dog, but right now I'm not in the right living situation. I hope I am soon enough, I'm really working towards it.

I completely agree that everyone's responses were wonderful. I feel the same that they were very honest and insightful.