(no subject)
He covers me with fur, saliva, poop, pee, little puncture holes and welts but i love him to bits. My little furball demon is now 4 and a half months and growing fast. He's no longer the chubby cute little thing that rolls around but a leaner taller just as cute bundle of fur and teeth that speeds past stopping just a bit to give you a little nip.
As I type he is destroying the chair leg on which I sit.
I'm adopting a mother-dog + positive reinforcement approach with Romeo. No rolled newspapers, no smacking of his face, no choke chains. So far, his only 2 problems are biting and nipping, which are partly due to his teething and partly due to genetics as a sheep herder (I'm not a sheep, boy!) and barking (again, mostly due to his sheep herding tendencies - he's small so he barks first to warn the sheep and then goes in for a little nip on the ankles).
He's responding well to the mother dog discipline technique. That is, I do what his mum would do if she's pissed off with what he's doing. Either press his head to the floor and growl and maintain eye contact or scruff him by the neck and give a little shake or pinch. I don't want to have to resort to harsher though still humane methods like the prong/pinch collar.
He's also started puppy kindergarten/training at a class in East Coast. Every Sunday. I'm going to get him on agility classes to. Gives him something to do, builds his confidence and tires him mentally and physically which is important coz if you only run a dog, it's all physical, there's little/no mental stimulation compared to doing an obstacle course of sorts. I've signed him up for 2 years unlimited training already. He's keeping ME tired and exhausted. I've been buying up all the toys in the pet store I frequent. Now I'm buying them online - it's alot cheaper and there's greater variety.
He is shedding alot lately. I can fill a small pillow with the fur I have collected. I can't remember if this is normal. His fur seems alittle drier too. I shall speak with the groomer. I found one at Holland Grove whom I took to get his nails cut. Romeo seemed to enjoy it and didn't cry out in pain or anything so that's good. The groomer seems to understand that the dog needs to feel comfortable if not enjoy the grooming experience.
I'm feeding him Wellness Puppy food both dry kibbles and canned food. He seems to like it. I've got vitamins given by the vet too but I want to get him on omega oils and something for his coat/skin. He gets a special chewy treat/bone thingy to occupy himself when I leave the house to reduce separation anxiety - when mummy leaves the house, I get something to eat! So it can't be too bad!
While at Ikea the other day, I bought this huge red cushion thingy for pets and stuffed it into his cage where he sleeps in my room. It must make him sleep more deeply/comfortably because he no longer wakes me up a quarter to 7am, but wakes only when my alarm goes off! Yay! More sleep for me.
I love my little Sangiovese to bits. He follows me around wherever I go. Apparently Shetland Sheepdogs do that. And they'll be heartbroken if they can't go to the loo with you. I miss his smell when I'm out the whole day and can't wait to get back to him and let him out of his play pen where he'll come bounding out to me, with his ears folded back and little front legs pawing the air, for a hug. I only wish Lester were here too to play. I miss him loads and will take Romeo to say hello to his resting place soon.
I'm listening to christmas music already. I can't wait for December!
As I type he is destroying the chair leg on which I sit.
I'm adopting a mother-dog + positive reinforcement approach with Romeo. No rolled newspapers, no smacking of his face, no choke chains. So far, his only 2 problems are biting and nipping, which are partly due to his teething and partly due to genetics as a sheep herder (I'm not a sheep, boy!) and barking (again, mostly due to his sheep herding tendencies - he's small so he barks first to warn the sheep and then goes in for a little nip on the ankles).
He's responding well to the mother dog discipline technique. That is, I do what his mum would do if she's pissed off with what he's doing. Either press his head to the floor and growl and maintain eye contact or scruff him by the neck and give a little shake or pinch. I don't want to have to resort to harsher though still humane methods like the prong/pinch collar.
He's also started puppy kindergarten/training at a class in East Coast. Every Sunday. I'm going to get him on agility classes to. Gives him something to do, builds his confidence and tires him mentally and physically which is important coz if you only run a dog, it's all physical, there's little/no mental stimulation compared to doing an obstacle course of sorts. I've signed him up for 2 years unlimited training already. He's keeping ME tired and exhausted. I've been buying up all the toys in the pet store I frequent. Now I'm buying them online - it's alot cheaper and there's greater variety.
He is shedding alot lately. I can fill a small pillow with the fur I have collected. I can't remember if this is normal. His fur seems alittle drier too. I shall speak with the groomer. I found one at Holland Grove whom I took to get his nails cut. Romeo seemed to enjoy it and didn't cry out in pain or anything so that's good. The groomer seems to understand that the dog needs to feel comfortable if not enjoy the grooming experience.
I'm feeding him Wellness Puppy food both dry kibbles and canned food. He seems to like it. I've got vitamins given by the vet too but I want to get him on omega oils and something for his coat/skin. He gets a special chewy treat/bone thingy to occupy himself when I leave the house to reduce separation anxiety - when mummy leaves the house, I get something to eat! So it can't be too bad!
While at Ikea the other day, I bought this huge red cushion thingy for pets and stuffed it into his cage where he sleeps in my room. It must make him sleep more deeply/comfortably because he no longer wakes me up a quarter to 7am, but wakes only when my alarm goes off! Yay! More sleep for me.
I love my little Sangiovese to bits. He follows me around wherever I go. Apparently Shetland Sheepdogs do that. And they'll be heartbroken if they can't go to the loo with you. I miss his smell when I'm out the whole day and can't wait to get back to him and let him out of his play pen where he'll come bounding out to me, with his ears folded back and little front legs pawing the air, for a hug. I only wish Lester were here too to play. I miss him loads and will take Romeo to say hello to his resting place soon.
I'm listening to christmas music already. I can't wait for December!