I'm getting a dog!

mrsmel

mrsmel

Cathlete
http://www.apbpets.com/bios/alexa.html

Yes, she's a big girl, but I'm very excited. She was totally neglected the first 4 months of her life, so she needs some work, but that's okay. I'm not a huge dog person, but DH has been campaigning for some time and when I found this girl's photo on the web I just couldn't resist!

We're getting her this Saturday. Let me know of any tips you can share about first time dog ownership. She's a year old and about 100 pounds. We already have a trainer lined up.

And, a Cathe friend gave me her first toy! I was lucky enough to get together with another Catheite on Saturday and she and her adorable girls gave Alexa her first toy. Wasn't that sweet?

anne
 
Congratulations, Anne! She's beautiful...and definitely big! It's nice that she's already crate trained.

Definitely do some training. I think an obedience class is a great way for a new dog and owner to bond and build confidence together.

Get lots of good chew toys. Kongs are da bomb. You can fill them with peanut butter or treats and it'll keep your dog occupied for a while.

Given her size, I'd be careful about leaving food (or anything enticing) out on your counters. It wouldn't take much effort for this girl to counter-surf.

Good luck and keep us posted on her. There are lots of dog savvy Catheites who can offer good advice. :)

ETA: An obedience trainer that I worked with recommended this book, and I liked it a lot. It's not so much about training, but about dog behavior and why dogs do what they do, and how to channel their instincts into desirable behaviors for us.

The Culture Clash - http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Clash-Revolutionary-Understanding-Relationship/dp/1888047054
 
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awwww..... and damn skippy that's a big dog !!!

There is lots of good info on this site http://www.victoriastilwell.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=4&sid=a3603aadeb5d4d3b7339493b89b3795f

Have lots of patience. I suggest you don't use the word NO, but use the tone unnnnhaaa instead. Never call the dog and then punish it, if you are mad and calling the dog you can vent your frustrations using the cooing tone and the dog will never know and you will be able to vent.

'baby' proof your home of anything that can be chewed up. I had a tv remote chewed, a cordless phone, my mp3 headphones, 3 pairs of reading glasses, and many socks.

Lots to learn and enjoy !!!
 
ita w/ "baby proofing"!

every night mike and i go thru the house "proofing" - thats actually what we call it. we dont crate mufasa and if he gets bored......well, we've got 3 girls and their dolls/toys dont look any diffrent than his chew toys

and the counters/kitchen table....he can eat off them/rest his chin on them. we cannot leave food out.
 
chefkate said:
and the counters/kitchen table....he can eat off them/rest his chin on them. we cannot leave food out.
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Same here. Our boy is tall. He can reach across the counter and he will counter surf!
I remove dials off the gas burners of my cook top so he doesn't bump the gas on by accident.

Congrats on your new big baby! She's beautiful!!!:D:D:D
 
That's not a puppy, that's a pony!!!:D:D
But what a pretty girl. She'll be good for lots of hugs and kisses. ITA with the other, watch the counter tops. Vlad is only 56 lbs and I catch him trying to snake his tongue up there. I've never seen him actually try to put his feet up there, though! Congrats on the new addition, I'm sure she'll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time:p;)

Nan
 
She's a doll. I love big dogs. I have 2 mastiffs and they're great dogs if you can get past the slingers. And for some reason they always want to put their mouth on you. :confused: You will get slimed frequently. ;) They are usually very sweet, laid back dogs though.

Given her size, I'd be careful about leaving food (or anything enticing) out on your counters. It wouldn't take much effort for this girl to counter-surf
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Oh yes, my oldest can get anything he wants off the counter when he comes in. My baby is almost 6 months and weighed 85.2 lbs when he was neutered last week. He is not much shorter than the older mastiff and can almost surf the top of the counters already.

I thought it was funny that the ad said that she always had something in her mouth because it reminded me on my Shredder. He's always going out in the yard and bringing something on our back porch. It's a mess most of the time. He's taken most all of his toys out of his room in the garage and has them everywhere. Here's a pic I took the other day of the disaster he'd made that day. The adult mastiff popped the basketball. :eek:

Have fun!

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OMG! Her paws look like baseball mitts! LOL! She is adorable though. Yeah, the countertop thing.......my puggle is about 25 lbs, maybe 16 inches from floor to ear, & she still gets to the countertops. I had to puppy proof from about four feet down. You'll have to puppy proof from about as high as you can reach down. :eek:;):cool:

Rhondalin, your back porch looks just like mine! Penny's nickname is The Destroyer, since she got her teeth into some pretty nice furniture too. Ever seen blizzard conditions in a LR? :mad:
 
Penny's nickname is The Destroyer, since she got her teeth into some pretty nice furniture too. Ever seen blizzard conditions in a LR?
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LOL I do know what you're talking about. DH was not too pleased the other day when he sat in one of the rocking chairs out there and discovered that Shredder has been using it as a teething toy. :(
 
Anne! That is awesome news. She is so dang CUTE! And remember, a dog loves you no matter what!
 
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