Darklight Posted August 15, 2012 Get a mastiff, they're inherently lazy and as long as they get a really good run and another exercise session every day you'll find they are rather prone to couchlock. Much less work than staffies Whatever you get, do the puppy school, crate training and regular socialisation thing and the big dogs are absolute gems. Any time you spend learning with them in those environments while they're pups *really* pays off Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lhb2444 Posted August 15, 2012 Sounds like in for some fun/annoying/interesting times then! Darklight, Aren't mastiff usually really big dogs? I don't think I really have the room for a big dog such as that but thanks for the tips on the puppy school and training, any idea how much puppy school costs? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted August 16, 2012 Mastiffs start around 40kg and go up from there, check with your breeder or check both parents if you can. If you can run them around at a fenced dog park ( many local councils have them ) they don't really use much room. A tired dog is an obedient dog and puppy parks are great places for them to learn to socialise You do have to be gentler with large dogs, esp purebreds, as pups so they can grow into their body without stressing their growing skeletons and cause joint problems later, so dont run one or have it jump round too hard til they're at least 15 months Puppy school is for very young dogs whose immune systems and vaccinations haven't kicked in yet but who benefit from socialisation and training with other dogs their age who are in the same boat. I paid $50 up front for 10 lessons, found mine through a local vet but some councils run them and if you're in a city you'll probably find one easier. Google is a good place to start, but council ( even ask at the pound ) may know of one, or your vet. There was a dog obedience class later, that was $5 a lesson, run through a local animal rescue service. It's finished now, but it was *excellent*. You could take a dog there at any age or state of training and they were really responsive. It gave my puppy the grounding to deal with other dogs, some of whom were older and way more neurotic and badly trained, but they did come round if they turned up regularly. And it's as much owner training as it is animal training. You can take a dog there any age or obedience ( or not ) and nobody minds- the organisers would rather you be there both learning than having to put down your dog because you can't live with it One thing puppy training taught me is that getting angry with dogs doesn't work, especially if you're angry for a long time. They see it as confusing and a loss of owner control, from another perspective it's like your boss getting cranky with you and not explaining why. I used to get angry with my previous dogs a lot, now I know why it didn't work as a training method. Working out what's wrong and fixing it can be exasperating, but it's more productive and you'll both be happier Just an aside- the best command I ever taught mine is *ignore*. Ignore that naughty terrier, ignore that noise, ignore that wallaby- and focus on what you want them to, even if you're onyl distracting them. It saves you getting angry with them when they do the wrong thing and you get cross with them. Ignore is a command even better than sit or stay When I got mine home as an 8 week old he chomped a Brug leaf ( panic, but no problems ) and next day chowed down on a caapi cutting ( no problem ). No plants or digging since. Fabric was the ultimate temptation- their was a rug overdose in December ( that's right... rug ) and a lot of socks went missing and were found later in a condition not condusive to wear. The clothing was a dominance issue- he stopped after I removed every scrap of extruded sock from the yard and kept any new ones out of reach. The household habadashery issue was sorted by the odd tactic of only rewarding him for 'clean house' when I got home from work, and not talking to him for a few hours if there was any destruction. I didn't think it would work, but instead of him being all embarrassed and skulking out the front when I get home and find he's trashed the place, he loves to come into the house with me and show off that everything is good and he gets a treat and a wrestle 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr b.caapi Posted August 16, 2012 Good post Darklight , my dog is a English Mastiff x American Bulldog ( seen in post # 2 ) she now weighs over 50 kilos and I must agree with you ,does not need much space. As much as they love exercise they are happy just to laze around and look droopy. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lhb2444 Posted August 16, 2012 It's done! I'm going to check out little Luca tomorrow night and if all goes well he's coming home! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
solomon Posted August 16, 2012 Staffie x collie here. Has occasionally fertilized the odd pot near her kennel but she's never hurt a plant. That tails gonna end up spiked one day though I think her taste is more Trichosurus and less Trichocereus. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted August 16, 2012 OMG Mr B caapi, Maya is beautiful Good luck with your new puppy LHB2444, he looks a ripper One thing we noticed at puppy park tonight is how much dogs slow down and chill out as they grow up, there's a bunch of regulars whose dogs have just hit two and can't be fucked running round like caffeinated preschoolers anymore. So whatever your puppy goes through there is a good chance that by two they'll be cruisy as Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cactus kate Posted August 16, 2012 ha you guys funny i have dalmation she hates me paying attention to my babies (cactus) she poos all over them but bet they get her back she dont let me know you see ha i love cactus and my baby kate 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr b.caapi Posted August 16, 2012 ha you guys funny i have dalmation she hates me paying attention to my babies (cactus) she poos all over them but bet they get her back she dont let me know you see ha i love cactus and my baby kate LMAO !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cactus kate Posted August 16, 2012 serious have a poo on a big trich try that hey i dare you she has good ame Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr b.caapi Posted August 16, 2012 serious have a poo on a big trich try that hey i dare you she has good ame I wouldnt dare put my ass anywhere near my Trich's. Stuff that ! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonstn Posted August 16, 2012 ****flashbacks of cactus porn thread**** 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Getafix Posted August 17, 2012 Asterix residing over his cactus plantation when he was about 11 months old!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foo Posted August 17, 2012 Johnston please censor that lastimage 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lhb2444 Posted August 17, 2012 Fuck Getafix you have an awesome setup! Your dogs just a bit cute to. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonstn Posted August 17, 2012 Maybe I should have hid it with a NSFW warning? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lhb2444 Posted August 19, 2012 Well Luca appears to have fit in well, no fatal consumption of anything and no serious spineage luckily, he is currently asleep on a small hylocereus though and loves playing in amongst a Euphorbia tirucalli which has some pretty nasty sap, he's also nibbled a few spach's and bumped into his fair share of prickly pear but all I'm over the moon with how quickly he's adapted to a yard full of painful plants. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bit Posted August 19, 2012 Dude, get a cat lol. If you shell out a few $$ and get a proper breed like a burmese, they're almost as interactive as dogs, but with better cleanliness and they won't destroy your plants!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Getafix Posted August 20, 2012 Fuck Getafix you have an awesome setup! Your dogs just a bit cute to. Cheers. Yeah that was our spot in NZ, it was beautiful but quite a small section. Looking at property here in Aus now and have plans drawn up for for a large interactive cacti garden. Have about 300 Trichs ready to go into the ground soon, can't wait!! Cheers 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lhb2444 Posted October 10, 2012 Little Luca just chilling on my bed. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BentoSpawn Posted October 11, 2012 This thread made me laugh hard. Just so the OP knows there is light at the end of the tunnel, i have owned many pugs and they cery rarely damage the garden. They have sometimes trampled small plants or given their particular favorite plants just a bit too much urea for their liking but the damage has been very little. They have never gone near any cacti i have grown, but i havent groen much of that at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr b.caapi Posted October 12, 2012 Little Luca just chilling on my bed. Nawwww Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lhb2444 Posted October 12, 2012 He's all good around most of plants, he does seem to take a liking to my psychotria's and has mangled all the small ones but theres a decent sized one in a corner which is now fenced off so its out of reach. Cacti wise he's knocked come pots over and chewed some pots but thats about the extent of the damage. He did nearly lose an eye a few weeks ago to some sort sharp object (I assume its one of the billion spines hanging around on the cacti) that perforated his eye ball and we thought he'd lose his sight in that eye which was pretty worrying, poor little thing was in so much pain to he simply couldn't move was just a big limp deadweight but after a day to he's back to charging round the round the yard barking at the trucks in the back alley. So so so so glad I ended up getting him and thanks a heap to everyone who posted in here and reassured me its not all that hard keeping your dog and cacti collection in the same vicinity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
