Good afternoon from Devon

[Debs Devon]

Hi there lovely doggy people!

I am four days into ownership of a twelve week old collie \ whippet cross pup.
Had rescue dogs all my life and tried desperately to go down the same path again.
Things seemed to have changed very much from getting my last rescue collie 14 years ago! I filled out the forms and there were lots of smiles as we seemed to be ideal
adopters....... Newly retired, love walking, had lots of rescue dogs, secure garden etc., etc. But when it got to the grandchildren who visit and had lots to do with our collie
It became difficult to be in the right age group for most of their dogs for adoption. Many dogs are suitable for households with children 13+. Now, I do understand that the dogs are assessed by professionals as to their suitability for homing but...... I explained that
the grandkids would be slowly introduced to any dog I could have. They have been taught to respect dogs and 'their space'. If our dog did not want to play and headed for bed, nobody went near. I do understand that kids and adults have been mauled or even killed by 'rescue dogs' and that is why centres strive so hard to be honest and give as much information about the type of home needed and they do a fantastic job. But should not there be a little more flexibility on what the potential adopter can offer depending on experience?
I visited many dog rescue websites and in the end felt really disheartened by not finding a dog that matched us. Any medium sized mongrel would have been lovely. It isn't that I was desperate for a purebred or designer dog. I just wanted to give a dog a home.
Has anybody else gone through this?

So for the first time in my life I have now bought a furry piranha with ninja slashing talons for claws and seems to be in permanent hyperdrive! First night was the pits as he screamed constantly in volume I did not think capable from something so small! I had gone for the 'cold Turkey' approach. The last three nights I have slept on the sofa with
'Terror Tot' in his crate within sight and smell of me and he is gradually accepting that he is safe. He is twelve weeks old and looks gorgeous when asleep! Ha Ha! My partner has been totally traumatised by the experiences since puppy's arrival. Poor chap. He says he will not be surprised to see its head rotate a full 360°.

Any advice in helping us through the early Hollywood stage greatly received!

 

[JudyN]

Welcome - your post made me laugh: 'furry piranha with ninja slashing talons' A whippet collie x must be like a child with ADHD after 6 strong coffees

My dog had night-long screaming abdabs as a pup too... it wasn't long before we decided it was better for all concerned if he could sleep with us.

It's a shame the rescues you tried didn't recognise your experience and that of your grandchildren. I think some of them have had bad experiences before of dogs being returned for some minor misdemeanour like bouncing on a child and will do anything to avoid it. Others seem happier to use their judgement though.

My top survival tips would be:

- Use short timeouts (5-10 secs is fine) for biting/nipping - stay calm, don't say anything, and be 100% consistent even if he's in and out of timout 100 times an hour
- Teach impulse control as soon as he's old enough to grasp it ('It's Yer Choice' video on YouTube)
- Wear old clothes
- Repeat at regular intervals 'this too will pass, this too will pass, this too will pass...'

I don't know if you're relatively new to sighthounds are very different to collies. They typically think that sit, stay, down, sit exercises are a total waste of time. They don't automatically want to please you - they want to please themselves, so you must train them in a way that makes them really want to do what you want them to do. This is one of the best introduction to lurchers ever: Lurchers for Beginners - greydogtales (Apologies if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs here.)

And MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: We need photos of the little darling! Please!!

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

A lurcher pup, fabulous dogs....best thieves going... dont leave any food unattended or it will be gone in a flash.
You have the classic combo of brains and speed... enjoy,they can make really good dogs.
Love to see a photo

 

[Ari_RR]

You will be fine.
There are many things to do, training tips and tricks, etc...
But the most important key to surviving a wild puppy (and then an even wilder evil teenager-dog) is a sense of humor.
You have it. You'll be fine
Looking forward to reading more stories of how ya'll are getting on

 

[Debs Devon]

Judy, thank you for your advice!
You certainly aren't teaching granny to suck eggs. Never had a puppy, I think the youngest dog I ever adopted was about a year so this is a whole new ball game! Also, somehow all the things you thought you knew and could handle goes out the window at some ungodly hour of the night when you are now so sleep deprived you can hardly function for yourself let alone the puppy....

Thank you Ari and Rinkydinkydo for your observations and comments too.

 

[Mad Murphy]

I can sympathise we have had Murphy since a pup and those first few weeks of nipping at hands and feet were hell.
He slept well and was housetrained at 8 weeks so I know he was a blessing compared to most.

It does pass but stock up on plasters in the mean time..

 

[Janer]

Hahahahaha, sorry but that is why I would not have a puppy ever again. Sounds like the rescue centres missed out on a lovely home for one of their dogs x

 

[merlina]

Well I'm responding as a former pup-from-hell owner (he's now 3 and the scars have healed nicely!) and a rescue homechecker. Because you feel you've not been well served you probably don't want to hear what it's like on the other side of the fence. (Believe me it can be tense, scary and leave you despairing- it's also a massive responsibility- if I ever hear of a dog/child related incident in my area I feel physically sick until I get hold of the facts and make sure it's not one of mine- which is selfish maybe but the absolute truth). As for your new puppy you just have to embrace the anarchy. They all experience the world by mouth and that mouth contains needles. This latest cockerdile (we've had several spaniels) was the worst puppy of any breed we'd EVER encountered in terms of aggression, destruction and craziness. We just had to get on board and enjoy it, gave him praise IF he ever did what was wanted, didn't restrict him more than for his safety, never told him off- there was no point- and let him have quiet times whenever he needed them. You may not believe this but I'm sort of sorry to see him becoming a model-citizen.

 

[Debs Devon]

Hi Merlina,
Thank you so much for your post. I loved reading about your Cockerdile!
Great stuff and heartening to know I am in a transitional period of puppy growth but I do hope my little chap
doesn't take three years to get through his anarchic period........
Congratulations on your turning your Cockerdile into a well balanced canine.

Thank you too for your views as a 'home checker'. Please, I do not under estimate the wonderful work that is done by the rescue groups and know how stressful that is. (My late mum in law was superintendent of a local dog's home years ago). I have just felt so disappointed at how seemingly, it has become so hard for me to source a rescue dog.