I want to get a dog but I have to work, how does everyone on broadway market do it ?

Hotterdog are the budget version of Equafleece. Fewer cuts available, but same material. We had a small for the pup but now he's grown can't get a medium anywhere.

That would make sense. Pet shop seemed to have loads of sizes but only a jumper style and coat style. No way we’d have gotten Vinnie in a jumper so that was dismissed automatically!

I just want someone to look at me the way Crumpet looks at satsumas (even though she's tried them several times before and doesn't like them).

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edit : missed 'sighthounds'!

There’s a virus going round dogs in my area - coughing (hacking as if to cough something up rather than typical kennel cough), sneezing and white mucous. It seems to pass after a few days, but one owner I know had to put her dog on antibiotics because it wouldn’t shift. Keep an eye for your pooches.

Our bed is the ideal place to keep an eye on all the squirrels in the garden.

Any relation to Hacker T Dog?

Ha ha.

Been warned of the same thing here (Rotherhithe)

This lump is now over 20kg, I don't think she realises she's not a tiny pup anymore! It's a real sign of the times that my girlfriend and I have managed to turn weighing the dog into a drinking game.

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Soooo, did I mention we are getting a GSP pup? She’s currently nearly 7 weeks old so not too long to go... hopefully next weekend we’ll get her home.

Mixture of excite and trepidation is palpable. We are watching training videos like there’s no tomorrow.

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No idea what he gets out of this. Not right in the head this lad.

One of the few things that have kept me sane this year is walking our dogs - a reassuringly mental force throughout everything.

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Rescue dog Insurance, Agria or Pet plan? Any others i should look at or any reasons I shouldn't go with either of those two?

And do most people opt for cover for life policies?

So, can we walk dogs in addition to our government-allotted single excercise activity?

Its not clear is it? My interpretation is yes. We tend to run with Otto though so not an issue for us.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-people-with-animals

Our new puppy is imminent. We’ve had conflicting advice on the first night - do we leave them alone and let them whine it out in their crate or sleep next to them and comfort them? I know what feels right, but any practical advice?

Second question is clicker training yay or nay.

Our new puppy is imminent. We’ve had conflicting advice on the first night - do we leave them alone and let them whine it out in their crate or sleep next to them and comfort them? I know what feels right, but any practical advice?

I'll share our experience with Otto. We thought we'd have a choice on the matter too. We tried him in his crate in a different room on the first night and he just cried and cried. That same night we put him in a box next to the bed and he still cried . The poor guy was crying for his Mum. In the end we put him back in his crate and ended up taking him outside for a piss every single hour during the night for at least a week. It was brutal. Probably took about three weeks before he was sleeping through the night.

Apparently puppy crynig sounds actuate the same part of the brain as human baby crying sounds. There is no ignoring it. Not even with earplugs :D

Unless your house is big enough to not hear them, the pup will wake you up regularly whichever method you choose. Our theory was we might as well go through the extra pain of having him in a separate room and not risk making Otto needy for human company. No idea if our logic checks out but it feels like we didn't make a wrong decision

my experience: pup was v small (1.2kg) so we had a cat carrier as well as a crate.
Initially he was in the cat carrier in our room, if he whined in the night we took him out for a piss.
Then we started leaving him on the landing, outside our room.
The plan was to keep increasing the distance until he was in his crate in the living room downstairs.

However, he broke his leg and ended up spending a night in the vets for the observations after the surgery, so we took that opportunity to just transfer to crate permanently.
We keep the bedroom door open to hear him, occasionally he may bark in the night to be let out for some business, but 95% of the time he sleeps through. (currently he has been going through some gastric distress so we keep a keen ear out)

Thanks that’s helpful. We have small humans so I know that frequency ... very hard to ignore

We got a puppy a month ago. Getting them comfortable being in the crate from day 1 is really useful. We only get crying if we put her in there when she's fully awake then walk away, so in the evening we let her doze on the sofa first then pick her up and put her in the crate when we are going to bed. Even if she wakes up from being moved it seems to work.

We wake up every 3 hours to take her out for a wee, once we slept through the alarm and she woke and a cried to be let out.

When it comes to letting them cry it out I'm not sure. Advice online mostly says to not teach them that crying gets your attention, but you don't want to give them separation anxiety. You also want to be confident its not just because they need the loo. When it's happened for us we've waited 5 or 10 mins and if it hasn't stopped we go and comfort her. The Zak George YouTube videos are good.

Advice online mostly says to not teach them that crying gets your attention,

This is so important! Whatever method you choose,its really important to be cold hearted and stick to it!

That reminds me, we started crating Murphy when we had dinner.
The first few days we would howl, bark, cry and bite the bars to get out.
After a short while he would start the same but settle, then a little while later he would settle, then bark for a bit.

Now he gets in on his own when the oven timer goes off (Pavlovian response is strong) and gets a dog treat for his troubles.

I read somewhere about tossing treats into the crate (when dogface isn't aware) so when they do go in there, they find rewards.
Inspires them to voluntarily go into the crate during the day.

(also, don't use the crate as a punishment)

I read somewhere about tossing treats into the crate (when dogface isn't aware) so when they do go in there, they find rewards.

Inspires them to voluntarily go into the crate during the day.

This worked out really well for us. Chucking random bits of chicken and treats into the crate is a routine we still stick to.

Otto adores his crate. It's his special safe space. Always amusing when he sighs and stomps off to his crate in a huff if we disturb him on the sofa in the evening.

One thing I’ve found helpful with crate training is routine and triggers. For example, I always put fresh water in the dog’s bowl before putting him the crate. He learns this really quickly and within a couple of weeks will go to his crate whenever topping up his water.

One other thing. Don’t fuss the dog when he goes in. In the crate, close the door, good dog, quick reward/treat and leave him. Sounds harsh but it takes the drama out of it.

*I use “he” because my last three have been males...

also, don't use the crate as a punishment

We kind of do this. Not really though. If Odie’s being a jerk and we need to put him a way for a sec, we’ll put him in the crate, but always try and do it positively. He’ll get a treat for going in and a ‘good boy’. Sometimes you do just need to get them out of your hair before you get cross with them and the crate can be useful for that (we’ve got you do kids and occasionally the chaos all gets a bit much!). My feeling is that if they’re rewarded for going in, the positive affirmation is still there.