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keeping pup amused but quiet??

  • 04-06-2011 1:48pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭


    Hi any suggestions on how to keep a 6mnth old pup quiet but still entertain her mind. She cannot be walked for 10 days only supposed to go out to do her business and is going mad being kept in especially as other pup still needs to be walked. She has intermittent lameness after about 10mins exercise and after lying down. Vets done xrays and nothing has shown up but are sending them to ucd for second opinion because they have observed her over 24 hrs and can see the lameness for themselves. :confused::confused:


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 14,772 ✭✭✭✭Whispered


    Poor pup! Have you considered one of those dog puzzles?

    http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_toys_dog_training/intelligence_games

    I've never tried them and I don't know how suitable they would be for a younger dog, but it might be worth looking into.

    You could also up her training - if you can work her brain she wont be as wired.

    You could ask your vet about swimming. It's fantastic exercise, easy on their joints and with the good weather you could wade in yourself and tempt her in. Just make sure your vet ok's it first. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,131 ✭✭✭✭Oranage2


    Arent there collars that spray water when a dog barks, i think some kennels use them to train dogs


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,772 ✭✭✭✭Whispered


    Oranage2 wrote: »
    Arent there collars that spray water when a dog barks, i think some kennels use them to train dogs
    :confused: what?


  • Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭piperh


    Whispered wrote: »
    Poor pup! Have you considered one of those dog puzzles?

    http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_toys_dog_training/intelligence_games

    I've never tried them and I don't know how suitable they would be for a younger dog, but it might be worth looking into.

    You could also up her training - if you can work her brain she wont be as wired.

    You could ask your vet about swimming. It's fantastic exercise, easy on their joints and with the good weather you could wade in yourself and tempt her in. Just make sure your vet ok's it first. :)

    Thanks whispered i've just ordered a couple of those toys, they look great and would use them even afterwards.

    I'll ask about the swimming on monday because it was something i wanted to try anyway so now might be as good a time as any.


  • Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭piperh


    Oranage2 wrote: »
    Arent there collars that spray water when a dog barks, i think some kennels use them to train dogs

    I'm sorry did i not make it clear. I'm not on about the noise but keeping her entertained but without the exercise.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 11,131 ✭✭✭✭Oranage2


    Oh sorry totally misread it - Kongs are good too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 144 ✭✭scarlet_mandy


    Whispered wrote: »
    Poor pup! Have you considered one of those dog puzzles?

    http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_toys_dog_training/intelligence_games

    I've never tried them and I don't know how suitable they would be for a younger dog, but it might be worth looking into.

    You could also up her training - if you can work her brain she wont be as wired.

    You could ask your vet about swimming. It's fantastic exercise, easy on their joints and with the good weather you could wade in yourself and tempt her in. Just make sure your vet ok's it first. :)

    I'm thinking about looking into those too, our pup just got spayed and is supposed to stay calm til the stitches come out next week. You try telling that to a 6 month old Lab with endless energy and a cone on her head!!

    I've also found that plastic picnic cups are good toys, if you do a few tricks with them, hide a treat under one cup and let them find it, then up the ante, add more cups and don't let them see you put the treat under and let them guess. Keeps the brain amused anyway I've found! :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭piperh


    I'm thinking about looking into those too, our pup just got spayed and is supposed to stay calm til the stitches come out next week. You try telling that to a 6 month old Lab with endless energy and a cone on her head!!

    I've also found that plastic picnic cups are good toys, if you do a few tricks with them, hide a treat under one cup and let them find it, then up the ante, add more cups and don't let them see you put the treat under and let them guess. Keeps the brain amused anyway I've found! :)

    Lol i had that problem a couple of weeks ago when i had both done. I'm going to try the cups. I've used the kongs and bought a couple more that i can freeze water in to keep them cool in the heat and she enjoyed that.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,008 ✭✭✭✭tk123


    Ah OP sorry about the pup - we were in a similar situation last year with xrays being sent off etc so I know how you feel! He was lame on and off, needed loads of xrays, went to ucd and then we got a second opinion in Cork and he had surgey and was on crate rest for 6 weeks and restricted access for 7 weeks after that. For my guy I did loads of training with him - especially clicker games like getting them to give the paw, touch your hand with their nose, which hand - hold out both hands with a treat in one and get them to guess which hand the treat is in, build up time you can get them to stay, leave it/take it etc
    We also gave kongs but he's very impatient and bounces them around the place :pac: so we'd give them in his crate to keep him from jumping around the place.
    BTW I tried one of those brain training games and he went mad trying to push the game around the place to get the treats lol so make sure you hold it down! :D

    How is her weight? As soon as my guy started having problems (around 9 months) I took him off RC puppy food and put him on to a lower protein food (Burns) so he wouldn't put on too much muscle mass and do more damage. You may need to cut back on her food to allow for the fact she can't excercise as much - my guy put on weight when he was restricted at first so I had to cut the food back. If the pup has a problem you need to keep her lean so she's not doing more damage.
    Lastly we use Flexicose and Luposan Pellets - he hasn't needed pain killers/anti-inflams. since I started him on these.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 44 Marguerite Tonery


    Is she a large dog? What about carrying her when you are walking the other pup. She just wants to get out to see the outdoors and be in the fresh air. It might help?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭piperh


    tk123 wrote: »
    Ah OP sorry about the pup - we were in a similar situation last year with xrays being sent off etc so I know how you feel! He was lame on and off, needed loads of xrays, went to ucd and then we got a second opinion in Cork and he had surgey and was on crate rest for 6 weeks and restricted access for 7 weeks after that. For my guy I did loads of training with him - especially clicker games like getting them to give the paw, touch your hand with their nose, which hand - hold out both hands with a treat in one and get them to guess which hand the treat is in, build up time you can get them to stay, leave it/take it etc
    We also gave kongs but he's very impatient and bounces them around the place :pac: so we'd give them in his crate to keep him from jumping around the place.
    BTW I tried one of those brain training games and he went mad trying to push the game around the place to get the treats lol so make sure you hold it down! :D

    How is her weight? As soon as my guy started having problems (around 9 months) I took him off RC puppy food and put him on to a lower protein food (Burns) so he wouldn't put on too much muscle mass and do more damage. You may need to cut back on her food to allow for the fact she can't excercise as much - my guy put on weight when he was restricted at first so I had to cut the food back. If the pup has a problem you need to keep her lean so she's not doing more damage.
    Lastly we use Flexicose and Luposan Pellets - he hasn't needed pain killers/anti-inflams. since I started him on these.

    Do you mind me asking what the problem was in the end?

    We've never tried clicker games so i'll give those a go, i spent 10mins putting meat and tiny bits of treats under cups as suggested here and another 10 on stay/leave/wait and she was very proud of herself and has spent the last half hour curled up asleep when normally she's bouncing around at this time of night waiting for her walk. :D Buts it's heartbreaking to keep her restricted and see her confused by it even though i know we have to. She keeps bringing me her lead :(:(

    She is only slender as she was skin and bones when we got her and its taken a while to get any weight onto her but it is going on slowly but we will watch because i don't want her putting on weight to quickly either.


  • Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭piperh


    Is she a large dog? What about carrying her when you are walking the other pup. She just wants to get out to see the outdoors and be in the fresh air. It might help?

    Thanks but She's around 14kg so not really an option, youngest son sat on the front garden with her earlier but i think it just confused her more because she couldn't play with the boys, she loves playing fetch or football with them :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,008 ✭✭✭✭tk123


    piperh wrote: »
    Do you mind me asking what the problem was in the end?

    He has angular limb deformity so his hocks were touching at times and his paws were pointing outwards making him look cow hocked. He's had one leg straightened and it's made a huge difference. Before he could only have say 30 min walks - now we walk 90 mins everyday, he can run off the lead without getting tired or sore, his pads aren't splitting from uneven wear and he's not in pain anymore. We had gone to UCD and they didn't think surgey was an option so we got a second opinion from Gilabbey Vets in Cork and they decided surgery was the best option so he wouldn't keep damaging his joints and ligaments. My biggest regret is waiting around for 8 weeks for the appointment with UCD - our vet had suggested Cork but I thought it was too far etc. If we had of gone to Cork from the start we'd probably have the 2 legs sorted now - as it stands he's doing great so the plan is to build up the leg a bit more and have the second one straightened around oct/nov.

    EDIT - just reading your post there - it IS heartbreaking but you have to be tough because it's for her own good! Try and get her into a routine and it'll be a lot easier for both of you. It was SO hard when we brought our baby home from cork - he didn't want to be in a crate and was crying all the time, we didn't know if he needed to go to the loo or was just chancing it to be left out etc - once you get into some sort of routine they'll settle into it. Try not to worry too much and get stressed as she'll pick up on it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭piperh


    Thanks TK, i hope your baby is soon running on all 4 legs properly. We've spent a lot of time today on her training and playing games such as which cup getting her to touch the cup with her nose to get the treat.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,132 ✭✭✭Sigma Force


    Frozen carrots keep mine busy for a wee while, but they only like them if the weathers really warm. There's those white bones you can get they are pre filled, they're basically a marrowbone I don't use the ones from butchers because mine kepts getting colitis from eating them but if your dogs not got a sensative tum a marrow bone from the butcher will definetly keep the dog calm and busy for ages.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11 tara2


    try a kong and stuff it with her treats or her dog nuts,that mite help


  • Registered Users Posts: 989 ✭✭✭piperh


    Bump for Tillygirl there are some good ideas on here.:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,357 ✭✭✭gregers85


    When my German Shepherd was a pup I worked long days so needed something to occupy her to stop her barking and digging up the garden etc haha I got her a Kong!!!!! They are brilliant! put some treats or kibble inside and cover the hole with some peanut butter and she'd spend ages licking chewing and trying to get the treats out! :)


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