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LOTS of people use K9 treadmills to condition their dogs. This may be helpful — http://www.mcrehabilitation.com/blog/treadmills-for-canine-conditioning-programs-what-you-should-know

No personal experience, but I know that the rear paws can also be trained to scratch. I don’t think moderate use will damage pads. Try searching YouTube for ideas.

Personally, once the dog understands the command, I start mixing things up to proof the behavior. And that would include switching up where the treats are kept. I would hide the treats. Or toy — for my toy- driven dog, I will hide a toy under my jacket or behind my back when he isn’t looking. Then, when he completes the command ( with no reinforcer in sight), I will whip out the toy and have a party. Thus, he has obeyed my command without the expectation of a reward (because the toy was hidden, he is not primed to do the behavior only because he knows that a toy is waiting).

Thanks so much for the update. Not airing until 2024? It’s so hard to be patient.

This dog is more in tune than I am. LOL It was adopted from the BC rescue I volunteer with. https://www.facebook.com/groups/172549153358288/permalink/1265090620770797/?mibextid=W9rl1R

So happy for this handsome dog and you. I am glad he found a breed-knowledgeable home and is fitting into the pack. Have fun.

That'll do Dan. I know you had his heart.

That’s my worst nightmare. I have had a couple of acquaintances involved in accidents (not their fault) who credited crates for preventing injury/death? to their dogs. when you know better, you can do better.

Law girl, Thanks for the update!

I agree with D'Elle. I think local protocols will determine how responders handle canines in an accident. Having said that, here are a few tips to (hopefully) keep your canine companions as safe as possible. Keep them in a crate in the car - preferably not in a cheap wire crate which could break and stab the dog. And strap the crate securely in the car. A crash-tested harness could work too. Snap a leash to the crate. If the crate is thrown from the car, the leash is available for a rescuer to use. Attach an envelope to the crate with all pertinent information: Your name, dog's name, ICE numbers, vet name and number - and other information as you see fit.

S/he should be easy to care for.

I am sorry to hear that you didn't get any advice regarding your questions from your vet. IMHO, it is highly irresponsible on the part of the vet. If you are in the United States, I am providing a link to help you find a CCRP (Certfied Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner). This is a vet or physical therapist who has specific rehabilitation training to help dogs rehab from injuries. If you are not in this country, there are similarly trained vets in other countries.They are the best professionals to help you with this issue. Usually, general vets do not have the appropriate training for rehab advice. https://www.utvetrehab.com/canine-rehab-ccrp/ccrp-practitioners/ As for keeping quiet, again, can your vet provide a short-term Rx to help with calmness and relaxation? When my dog had his hip replacement, he came home with a 14 day Rx for trazodone. The purpose is to help keep the dog calm during the initial, critical time period of healing. Also, If your dog is comfortable in an X-pen (i.e. will not try to climb out), USE it except for short walks. Otherwise, I would use a very large crate to limit mobility. And finally, buy and use some of the mind-game puzzles (or train tricks that don't require much movement) to try and reduce some of the boredom.

Good advice above.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Paws on your heart.

This short phrase reminded me of something that a lot of dog owners do NOT do: reward calm. Most of us treat/reward very well when we are training the dog. When we ask the dog to do something, and it complies. Yes! Treat. But it is also important, IMHO, to reward a calm dog. If your dog is just sitting or lying around, make an effort to walk by the dog and treat for calmness. Just because you haven't asked for a behavior, doesn't mean that you can not treat the behavior the dog is showing you. Each time you treat for calm behavior, you will build the connection in the dog's mind that calmness is something good.

Train the dog (or pup) you have in front of you and don’t compare to other dogs. In other words, just because other pups may be able to train for 5 minutes, maybe it is too much for Luna - at this time. Experiment and try to train for 2 minutes ONLY and see how she responds. Hopefully, her brain won’t explode. At this young age, you won’t see herding behavior. The nipping is just rude puppy behavior.

Sorry, dang autocorrect changed Luna to Lina in my post above.

Based on your assumptions on her previous (very short) life, it is possible that Lina may also have PTSD. Hopefully, she will improve. How long have you had her? Does she have rugged chew toys for her bitey phases? If she wants to bite and chew, I would be giving her a chew toy. It is hard to know if her biting is somewhat normal puppy biting, combined with tiredness, or it it is unusual. All of my pups have gone through a biting stage. And depending on what temperaments her parents had (what lines she comes from), she may be genetically prone to more excitable behaviors.

Could she have undiagnosed pain? Has she ever snapped at the groomer? I would ask to observe the groomer or, at the very least, ask her for handling and brushing suggestions.

terrecar, Myos is one of those supplements, IMHO, that should cause no harm and it may benefit. I hope it will benefit Jan. As a bit of background, I started Myos for my dog when he was about 10. Not because he was having any problems that I could see, but because of his age and I knew he had been hard on his body throughout the years. I was an early adopter because this was back in 2015 or 2016. After a few years and the addition of other supplements and chiropractic care as he slowed down, I stopped giving Myos because I thought I had 'everything' covered with his multiple supplements, etc. But after 4-5 months, he was really struggling, and after thinking about it, I realized that Myos was worth a try again. Before, I was just giving it to him prophylactically and had not noticed any change (but then again, he was not showing any visible symptoms) so I had stopped because I wasn't sure it was having any effect. Imagine my surprise when, after about a 7-10 days of starting Myos again, I could see a bit of improvement. And he improved some more, but at his age at that time (13.5 years), he was never going to act young again considering his other ailments. I know that this is a sample size of one, but I honestly believe that it helped him.

Handsome Finn. I am glad to hear he is much loved.

Another option for fish oil (and I am currently using it for 4 dogs) is Iceland Pure. Not that it is any better than another brand (I mean, how would I even test that?), but I was attracted to the claims of ‘Unscented’ and ‘Pharmaceutical Grade’. I like the dispenser, an aluminum bottle (no product deterioration due to light) with a pump dispenser. I just use one or two pumps on their meal once a day. But once they got a taste of it, all 4 will lick it from the pump as I squirt it in their mouth. My cat even licks the pump tip if she can get to it. LOL.

Adorable!

Welcome to the Boards, Stella!

Journey’s suggestion of puppy vs adult coat sounds logical. Have the parents had their genetic panel done? Usually they include results for color genetics. There may be a clue there. And where are the puppy photos? You know the ‘rules’. LOL