Shadowdancer

I've rarely posted lately because, well, I despise the new layout.

Really, really despise it.

I used to be able to check on answers/questions and see what they were in the activity section. Now I see "you answered a question!" and have to go into it to see if the question was the one I was following with more interest than usual. Etc, etc, etc.

It feels like it sacrificed quality for looks. So now it's made of low grade poly instead of cotton, but snazzier.

Blech.

Anyone have any suggestions for getting more accustomed to it without this feeling of wanting to say "to heck with this" and close out?

I can hear Murphy's Law laughing at me already.

So my pup is 7 months old, and has been reliably housebroken for quite some time - since about 10 weeks. He's done phenomenally well.

I should note I live in Arizona - in the desert. So except for maybe 2 days in his lifetime, he hasn't had to deal with rain. He's over being scared of it. But...

He will NOT go and potty in the rain. He will play in the rain trying to catch it. He will dive into the mud. He will bring me his frisbee wanting watersports.

But he will not, no matter how often he's asked, told, begged - potty in the rain.

We have an old sofa on the open, covered porch area - and he actually raced back, crouched down almost laying on it, and peed there. Ears down, knew it wasn't where he SHOULD go, but all the reassurance, walking him through the yard on the leash, nothing has persuaded him it's ok to pee while it's actually raining, and he won't poop until the grass dries up.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Any suggestions? I even leashed him and walked him through the yard trying to convince him it was ok - and all I got was wet. Unless he's playing in it, he doesn't even want to walk on the grass, only on the pavement. And he won't pee on the pavement lol.

In about a year or so, we should be purchasing our own place, which will allow me to get involved with rescue more actively.

Even though it's a ways off, I tend toward the obsessive when it comes to being prepared - so I'm already making mental lists of things I'm going to need beyond the obvious.

So for you experienced fosters - anything that wouldn't be a commonly thought of need that jumped out and bit you on the butt I should be looking to store for future use?

I'm already figuring on "normal" including things like crates in a few sizes, pen, bedding, bowls, leashes and collars, baby gates, puppy feeding kit, medication spoons/syringes, toy assortments, brushes and clippers.

Some things, like agility tunnels and outside toys, are a given since my own dog will have them in place.

But I have a feeling I'm missing some things that should be obvious. So anything not obvious that has come in handy time and time again, or anything needed I'm missing, please feel free to add suggestions - I'm acquiring stuff a bit at a time and keeping it in storage, so anything perishable will need to wait, but "hardware" type items I can build a supply of.

So tonight on the way home, one of my family members is chatting away and says "you got so lucky with your dog, you really had it easy," because he's very well behaved and was housebroken quite early (by 9-10 weeks) etc.

Part of me was thinking "thank you." but part of me, the part that sees the zero effort to housetrain their dogs in their house much less manners train them, was just pissed off.

It wasn't magic. And our work together training is far from complete - it's ongoing. While he was an amazingly easy puppy to housebreak - it still involved watching like a hawk and getting up with him at the crack of dawn, staying up til midnight, keeping all of us on a schedule - and maintaining it even when he was recovering from parvo.

And then there was the comment following of "well I have X breed, they're impossible to completely housebreak anyway." "They usually use the pee pads,"

I kept my mouth shut, after all, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. But inside I was getting more and more irate.

Have ya'll run across this, and how do you handle it? I shoved it aside internally as "not worth an argument," but I tell ya, I'm having a hard time not being pretty darn peeved. Yes, he's pretty decently trained. Could be better on some of his obedience commands, and that's my fault. But is it so freaking hard for some people to give an honest compliment without turning it into an excuse for their laziness? ARRGH!

I know there's several pro's here that end up having to give the same advice repeatedly. So what do you consider the biggest one you wish more people were aware of before diving into ownership?

I think mine would be fairly simple: "Before getting a dog - make sure you can afford not only the basic vet care and monthly care costs, but have Carecredit, a credit card, or an "emergency fund" for unforeseen disasters of at least $2k."

Just wondering if anyone has had diarrhea as a side effect of this dog treat besides me. Our pup loved it, but is paying the price in gas, diarrhea, and a bit of nausea today. Not sure if the whole one was a bit too much/too rich, or if one of the ingredients may have given him a little trouble - he's always been on zero grain food.

Ok, before I start, it's more the detail things, like obedience training and bonding issues, that I'm wondering about this spark of wisdom I've conceived,

I've had my BC mix mutt since he was 8 weeks old, and he's growing up fabulously. He's 14 weeks this week, housebroken, and knows (and even usually obeys) the basic commands.

I managed to tear a hunk out of the side of my foot on the cement edging playing soccer with him, and it brought at least one shortcoming to mind - when I'm out of commission, there's really nobody else willing/able to really play with him. My SiL's dogs are tiny and mostly antisocial with other dogs, two are dog aggressive. My cats and him get along fabulously - but that's mostly him mouthing their ears and neck and them coming to him for attention - especially the biggest male, who LOVES rough scratches and scrubs.

Financially isn't an issue - if anything, we're in a better position than ever to meet financial demands, even unexpected ones, as my husband just got a promotion and his new benefits package includes pet insurance.

Timewise - I have the time and experience. While our bedroom - animal central for sleeping - is a bit small, the house and yard are huge, and the yard has a 5 foot brick wall around it.

There's a 4 month old Golden sitting at the county shelter, I've been eyeing her all week to see if someone speaks for her. So far she's had no takers. And this month, just to really give me incentive, animal control is waiving all but $5 for the adoption fee for any dogs over 3 months old.

Already fixed and has shots.

I'm considering meeting her tomorrow and seeing if her personality seems like a good fit, and if it does, bringing her into the fold.

So this time I'm coming to all the other experienced puppy raisers here, because so far my vet and I are both flummoxed.

My puppy is a *counts carefully* 13-14 week old BC/ACD/Brittany/who knows mix. He's the one in my avatar as of a week ago, if it's visible. (It doesn't show for me on my answers,)

Anyway, occasionally he'll let out a quick pain-whine in his sleep, or when he scratches his ear. It's quick, and he doesn't bite at any part of himself to help pinpoint things. The vet already checked his ears, manipulated his joints, and felt him all over - no flinches, no issues. He'll get xrayed to check for HD at 6 months.

He runs like a mad thing with no problems.

He's on a good quality food (after some discussion, he decided his favorite sample was ToTW High Prairie puppy food.) and doesn't eat too fast - he's not a chow hound at all.

He DID have parvo at 10 weeks after 2 vaccine series. It was relatively mild and he bounced back very fast (only 2-3 days of really being "down"). After getting over the parvo he has started growing much more quickly. Week before last and last week he gained 2.5 and 3 pounds respectively. (He's about 16-17 lbs) This week he didn't gain much at all - but he got very leggy all of a sudden. I'd say he probably gained a full 2 inches at the shoulder.

So has anyone else experienced these odd reactions while asleep? I know he "dreams" a lot - his little legs will go and he'll play-woof while out cold - but this seems different. We've got a very very good vet, so I'm more curious than worried - could it be growing pains, or even quick gas pains on occasion? It's only maybe 1-2 times a day it happens.

I've been in the process, since formulas have changed drastically since I last had a dog, of narrowing down a final choice for dog food and wondered what personal experiences people have had with dry kibble that's "above average" and up. I'm waiting for samples from ToTW now, and figured I'd post my experiences with some of the above average brandings available in grocery stores before the field trip to the pet and feed store. After all, a review can give a perspective as far as the quality of ingredients - what I'm looking for is the quality of experiences people have had.

For me, personally so far:

Rachel Ray's Zero Grain - tolerated very well, relatively low stool production, stools had no major odor, low breath and body odor. If I run out of premium food after getting my supply in, I'd use it again as a filler if needed. So far the preferred option if I can't get to the feed store (van decided it would be a month to blow the radiator, and waiting for samples to boot!)

Pure Balance - Similar experience to Zero Grain. A bit more poop production, but overall not bad. Nothing really stood out for or against vs the Zero Grain, except my cats weren't interested in it which is good!

Purina One Beyond - while this also got an above average rating from dog food advisor - I can say I really dislike this food. One week's use is up on body odor, stools are looser on average, and oh boy can we say STINK? The stools produced remind me forcefully of growing up behind the naval dairy farm - they smell like fresh manure and attract flies like no tomorrow. He's also getting a bit whiffy - the rest of this is going in the trash today. The only pro is he likes it. However, he's not overly picky, so out it goes.

The brands I'm waiting on samples from are Blue Buffalo, Wellness, and ToTW. Any insight into these from a practical use standpoint and not just an ingredients review would be DEEPLY appreciated.