brad8582 Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Hi all. To start off Id like to say that i appreciate everyone on here who give up their insights and very useful experiences for all to see. I am a new BC owner and have been religiously reading up all that i can on this forum. This is my first post but yall have already answered so many of my question just through previous threads. With that said. My new BC is 12 weeks old and so far he really hasnt been that big of a handful. He has even learned some new tricks in very little time. He rings the bells we put on the door whenever he needs to "go potty" as well as some of your basic sit and down commands. To get to my question of concern. We got our BC during christmas as well as a new cat. The cat is 6 months old. For the last week or so we havent had any problems between the two, as they just seemed to be wary of one another. However, starting today the BC started to be a little bit more aggressive and i cant tell if its play or fight. I dont think its truly fighting but the video below will show that the cat obviously does not want to play back. So should i stop and correct this from happening or is it just normal play and it shouldnt turn into anything further than that. http://youtu.be/bK4cARF_Y8s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewie'sMom Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Darling and hilarious! Your pets are just fine. Puppy is playing and kitty is extremely tolerant. If/when kitty has had enough he will let puppy know in no uncertain terms. Usually just one disciplinary action will be all it takes. But, it looks to me like you have a budding life-long friendship blossoming. edit: Oh, and welcome to the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Welcome! Personally I would NOT let the puppy grab the cat by the neck and drag it around. It may be cute when pup is little and has little tiny puppy teeth, but if it turns into a habit, the cat could be at risk of injury once the pup is full grown. The cat, no matter how tolerant, is not a living dog toy. I have one year-old cat who is very tolerant of my 5-month-old puppy. I keep an eye on the puppy and if she gets too rough (in my opinion, no matter what the cat is doing), I distract her. Granted, your cat didn't seem desperate to get away, but if I were you, I'd encourage the pup to be a little less mouthy. Remember that if he really does hurt the cat, the cat could do some serious damage to the pup's face/eyes, so you want to be aware of how seriously the pup is mauling the cat. Also not all cats will be as tolerant as yours. It would be helpful for your pup to learn a little respect for cats as well. When you think his behavior toward the cat is getting too rough, you could always use it as an opportunity to teach the pup a correction--ah ah! Just enough to distract and then let them go back to it. I think the cat will be happier for it. I assume the cat has a place it can go to get completely away from the puppy (a room blocked off with a baby gate or similar)? J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Welcome! And I agree whole-heartedly with what Julie said. Too many things that can look cute or funny to a person, are not cute or funny to the animal on the receiving end. And, when the dog gets a little older and larger, or just gets a little more cocky and "playful", it could get very rough on the cat. Our cat has had good playtimes with the last two pups we got, but we never let the pups get overly rough and certainly not grabbing the cat like yours is enjoying doing. Usually, the cat gave as good as he got, and the pups have been respectful - if not, or if either got too rough, the playtime is over and something else is done to occupy the pup's time. As Julie said, give your cat a place that is safe and off-limits for the puppy. A room with a baby gate is a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad8582 Posted January 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I agree with what yall are saying for the most part. The neck biting is what really concerned me. I didnt want to separate them if they were merely playing, but as yall have said the dog will get bigger and could do alot more damage. Likewise with the cat, if he really wanted to defend himself then it could easily scratch the dogs face or even worse eyes. I will try to use what yall have said and monitor him more than just totally make them avoid each other. Afterall, they do live with each other and I cant keep them in prison cells their whole lives. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Monitoring is best - you can gently reprimand the pup when he gets too rough (an "aht, aht" to get his attention and let him know he's doing wrong), and right away when he turns his attention to you, let him know he's chosen right, and give him something else to do that he would enjoy - like playing or learning manners with you! Management is often key, and your care and consideration for both animals will help you figure out ways to manage them so that they can interact, can play, and can learn boundaries. I'm glad to see that you are concerned and wanting to do what's right for these two new family members. Best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad8582 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I didnt want to start a new thread so ill ask another if I may. My new pup was at a sitters for three weeks before christmas day came. It was a present from Santa, and as we all know Santa doesnt come on December 3. Well the sitter was feeding him really low grade food. Which we didnt know about being that we supplied her with better food. So when we got Duke he has had really bad tummy issues if you catch my drift and they have not gone away. We brought him to the vet and found nothing wrong. So with a physically healthy dog i moved my thoughts to the food. I did some research and found that even the food that i was feeding him (purina one) isnt the greatest. Upon further research i found Blue Wilderness had some good reviews. I wanted to get Orijen but it was slightly out of our price range. However even with the new food for about a week he is still having his stomach issues (number 2). We tried rice, pumpkin, and feeding less. The rice seemed to help out a little but it only lasted for one day. After he eats, it is a GUARANTEE that within 5 minutes he has to go outside. (or on the floor, which ever comes first). Any advice would be much appreciated. P.S. If i dont get many replies to this issue on the thread ill post it again on the main board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I didnt want to start a new thread so ill ask another if I may. My new pup was at a sitters for three weeks before christmas day came. It was a present from Santa, and as we all know Santa doesnt come on December 3. Well the sitter was feeding him really low grade food. Which we didnt know about being that we supplied her with better food. So when we got Duke he has had really bad tummy issues if you catch my drift and they have not gone away. We brought him to the vet and found nothing wrong. So with a physically healthy dog i moved my thoughts to the food. I did some research and found that even the food that i was feeding him (purina one) isnt the greatest. Upon further research i found Blue Wilderness had some good reviews. I wanted to get Orijen but it was slightly out of our price range. However even with the new food for about a week he is still having his stomach issues (number 2). We tried rice, pumpkin, and feeding less. The rice seemed to help out a little but it only lasted for one day. After he eats, it is a GUARANTEE that within 5 minutes he has to go outside. (or on the floor, which ever comes first). Any advice would be much appreciated. P.S. If i dont get many replies to this issue on the thread ill post it again on the main board. Maybe it's just going to take some time for Duke's tummy to settle down. Three switches in 3 weeks is a lot. What did the breeder start him on? Maybe go back to that, if it's a good quality food. Our vet recommended keeping our pups on puppy food for the standard year and I agreed, feeling that the pup can't eat enough even of the all stages food to get the correct amount of calories and nutrients especially when they are tiny. Diamond Naturals has a puppy food and is competitively priced. There are differing opinions on the subject and I'm far from an expert, In the end, it's the pup's condition that tells you if you are doing the right thing. Perhaps the puppy is getting into the kitten food that might be making him sick...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad8582 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Maybe it's just going to take some time for Duke's tummy to settle down. Three switches in 3 weeks is a lot. What did the breeder start him on? Maybe go back to that, if it's a good quality food. Our vet recommended keeping our pups on puppy food for the standard year and I agreed, feeling that the pup can't eat enough even of the all stages food to get the correct amount of calories and nutrients especially when they are tiny. Diamond Naturals has a puppy food and is competitively priced. There are differing opinions on the subject and I'm far from an expert, In the end, it's the pup's condition that tells you if you are doing the right thing. Perhaps the puppy is getting into the kitten food that might be making him sick...) Nahhh..we got the Cat shortly after the dog and he was already having problems beforehand. But it was a good thought. We didnt get much information from the breeder. Our fault, we just werent prepared the way we should have been. We bought the dog when it was 8 weeks old. Probably shoulda been a little later but again, we werent that knowledgeable at that time. Then weeks 9-11 he stayed at the sitters house and ate ol' roy or something like that. I think it was a walmart brand. Didnt know she did that and wasnt really happy about it. But, whats done is done and i cant change it now. I just want whats best for him now. I cant really afford top of the line dog food but im doing my best with Blue wilderness puppy food, along with a little wilderness salmon mixed with it. Hopefully it will just take a little longer to settle down and everything will be ok. Do yall think that the food im feeding him could be to rich in protein for such a young pup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I kind of have a different view on the puppy food, my puppy had pano which the puppy food can exacerbate so he ate adult food at 5 months. Some research suggests that for many dogs they don't need it for an entire year. I would talk to your vet about it. Can you vet prescribe a stomach med that could help him feel better? Sometimes they just get upset and need some help. An adult dog could fast for a day or so but for a puppy probably that's not a good idea. I seem to recall my vet giving one of my dogs something when they had diarrhea that wouldn't go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeri Jessee Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I feel like an expert (I'm not) in puppy diarrhea. What worked for us was a dose of Metro (from the vet) to soothe the irritated gut, some Endosorb, bland I/D food and then gradually getting her back on her regular food. She also gets a teaspoon of pumpkin now. BTW, I feed Diamond Natural (Lamb & Rice)Large Breed puppy food and have had good luck. I tried her on something else which was higher in protein and it upset her stomach. Good luck, I know its really frustrating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I agree that three food switches in 3 weeks, not to mention three location switches, would be enough to send a puppy GI tract over the edge. I would stick with boiled chicken and rice for several days, just to get the stomach settled. Then gradually mix in whatever food you plan to feed. The key is to do everything slowly. FWIW, of all the puppies I've raised, only one has been on puppy food, and that's because she had some with her when I got her and I continued it. But once that bag ran out, I put her on adult food. All my other youngsters were weaned straight onto adult food. Also at his age, he probably should have to poop fairly soon after eating, but it shouldn't be diarrhea! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KelliePup Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Coming in late, but welcome to the boards! RE Playing with the cat: Both are behaving perfectly natural; however, as previously mentioned, because Duke is going to get a lot bigger, I would also start teaching him to be gentle. Personally, I use the word "gentle" when play starts getting out of hand. It's just my own personal thing because I save my correction word for much more life threatening conditions for the most part. Just a little quirk of mine... something akin to the wrath of doG if you don't pay attention now. I think my dogs understand the difference, "gentle" is more of a warning that they had better ease off where as "aeyt" means they're already in trouble and a time out is in order (its a bit funny to see them put themselves in time out when they hear it). Of course, no correction in the world means anything if you don't back it up with an association. For example, if "gentle" means go easy and that is ignored, then comes the "aeyt" followed immediately by a brief time out/cool down period. Hope that makes sense. As for the potty problems, ditto on previous advice. I would question a too high protein content, or perhaps even overeating. I've also had some of my students' dogs have trouble with the lifesource bits in Blue. My pups are on puppy food maybe until 4 or 5 months, then we switch over to adult. Rice and chicken broth (or boiled chicken) for a few days can help reset the digestive system and then you slowly start adding regular food back in over the course of several days. For my older pups, I will add pumpkin in when I know things are going to be stressful for them (such as our recent road trip from Michigan to Texas). Stress is another big cause of diarrhea, and my Maverick is very prone to it. FWIW, if you shop Cosco at all, Kirkland is actually a really good dog food at a fantastic value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixx Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I kind of have a different view on the puppy food, my puppy had pano which the puppy food can exacerbate so he ate adult food at 5 months. Some research suggests that for many dogs they don't need it for an entire year. I would talk to your vet about it. Can you vet prescribe a stomach med that could help him feel better? Sometimes they just get upset and need some help. An adult dog could fast for a day or so but for a puppy probably that's not a good idea. I seem to recall my vet giving one of my dogs something when they had diarrhea that wouldn't go away. I've heard that some breeders state in their contract to feed the puppy adult food, and never puppy food. Don't quote me on this, because I don't know it as being fact, but it was due to some ingredient that is like growth hormones. Someone else can explain if they know. I don't remember the name of the ingredient. Anyway, giving your pup time to settle on one food would be best. If you keep switching, his stomach may never get used to any of the foods. Seek has a sensitive stomach. When I give her new food, it has to be over a period of two weeks or so. Then she has to be on the new food for a couple of weeks before I consider her to be "eating that food". Have you considered raw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Have you wormed him? And, be careful with him. If the diarrhea is severe, if he starts acting lethergic, or starts vomiting, get him to a vet quick. A baby pup, just like a human baby, can dehydrate and get very ill quickly. Hope his tummy settles down soon, and that you enjoy your little bundle of energy. Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Have you wormed him? And, be careful with him. If the diarrhea is severe, if he starts acting lethergic, or starts vomiting, get him to a vet quick. A baby pup, just like a human baby, can dehydrate and get very ill quickly. Hope his tummy settles down soon, and that you enjoy your little bundle of energy. Ruth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I've heard that some breeders state in their contract to feed the puppy adult food, and never puppy food. Don't quote me on this, because I don't know it as being fact, but it was due to some ingredient that is like growth hormones. This issue is that puppy food has more nutrients and can cause more rapid growth at a young age, which can contribute to various health problems associated with too rapid growth including panosteitis, hypertrophic osteodystrophy, osteochondrosis, hip dysplasia. This concerns are more an issue with very large and giant breed dogs than more moderate sized breeds like Border Collies but they can happen with any dog. Argos had pano which didn't have any long term effects on his health but it did affect his temperament because he experienced significant amounts of pain during critical times in his social development. It was very clear that any extra food made him immediately develop pain, so he was weighed weekly and we fed him very carefully balanced and weighed portions throughout his puppyhood and adolescence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad8582 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks for all the replies and advice. He is tearing up that chicken and rice by the way. I just hope it helps his tummy issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I'm glad to hear Duke likes the chicken and rice. I would keep him on it for several days. If you don't see any improvement in a day or 2, you might want to mix a little plain yogurt in it to replace the good bacteria in his tummy. Good luck and keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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