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Update on Roscoe


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It has been a while since I have logged on to the boards which I guess in itself must be a good thing! Roscoe is now just over 4 months old and he is doing so much better!

 

There are still moments where he uses nipping to communicate but now it is obvious that he needs something in particular and we are just not getting it. He has become a much more independent and confident dog thanks to the advice here and his pack time with our friend's dogs as well as a few obedience classes under our belt.

 

We have been going for long casual daily walks/hikes, most of which he is able to go off leash and swim in either the river or some large ponds close to our house and boy does he love to swim!

 

He obeys very well while we are away from the house, he knows basic commands both verbally and by hand signal and he loves to play fetch (all the time!). All of this he has learned through play. We are not using him as a working dog but he loves to be involved in everything we do so we give him "jobs" to do while we are doing our daily tasks and he thrives.

 

I am so thrilled we were able to learn from our mistakes. He is still not very good or treat motivated unless he thinks we are eating it. Thankfully, we have managed to teach him not to come to the table during meals.

 

We use his crate for breaks and rest when needed and he is now willingly accepting that. He has had a couple of nights where he has refused to sleep in his crate in our room, he barked comtinuously until we let him out and one of us slept in the family room with him. He fell asleep immediately on the floor and slept all night with one of us on the love seat. Is this normal for this age? lol It is a real question but seems silly to ask. They were warm nights which may have played a part in it despite us having a fan on and his crate next to the open window where it always is.

 

While it is a full time job it is no longer stressful like it was in the beginning. He is a social butterfly and super smart. Thank you again for all of your feedback. I'm still always open to suggestions!!

 

Thanks,

Lisa

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I am glad Roscoe is coming along and that you were able to find help here. This board has become my go-to for information. The search feature here has been especially handy for research into a question or problem.

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....

 

We use his crate for breaks and rest when needed and he is now willingly accepting that. He has had a couple of nights where he has refused to sleep in his crate in our room, he barked comtinuously until we let him out and one of us slept in the family room with him. He fell asleep immediately on the floor and slept all night with one of us on the love seat. Is this normal for this age? lol It is a real question but seems silly to ask. They were warm nights which may have played a part in it despite us having a fan on and his crate next to the open window where it always is.

 

 

Hi Lisa!

 

Wonderful to hear that you and Roscoe are doing so much better. That's fantastic! :)

 

As for your question above, I have two 5 month old pups just now, (not siblings) so I would say Roscoe's behavior is entirely normal - for a youngster who is pushing a few boundaries. :P

 

Be sure you don't let him be the one to set those boundaries, even if it does mean you guys go a little short of sleep once in a while. I've found that a squirt bottle is pretty handy for curbing puppy barking tantrums: bark = squirt! Repeat until he's tired of getting zapped.

 

Also, is he in a wire or plastic crate? If it's wire, it might help to put a partial covering on it, such as a piece of cardboard or something on top. Sometimes making a crate more "den-like" helps them settle, though of course in the warm nights of summer we don't want them too hot.

 

Anyhow, try the water bottle for bark corrections if he does that again. He doesn't need to learn that tantrums get him what he wants! :rolleyes:

 

Keep up the good work,

 

Gloria

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