New pooch

[Phil-E]

Just thought I would introduce the soon to be new member of our family.

 

We have been talking about getting a dog for some time and so we called in to The Dogs Trust on the way to see friends in Leeds on Saturday.

 

We had seen 2 dogs on their site that we were interested in. One had been reserved and the other needed some special attention and had behavioural problems.

 

We were ready to go and while chatting with them they had another dog they thought might be suitable.

 

We saw him, fell in love and reserved him there and then.

 

Meet Jerry:

 

 

16 weeks old French Bulldog.

 

 

He was confiscated at customs trying to be smuggled into the UK with some others.

 

Picking him up on Wednesday.

 

[Ttaskmaster]

Congratulations on finding a new home, Jerry!!!

 

...and good luck to the -E family, even if he does come house-trained!!

Nah, definite well done for taking on a rescue dog. All three of ours are rescues and we have been utterly blessed with such well-behaved little characters. I cannot believe anyone would give up such fantastic companions.

 

 

[Phil-E]

Yeah. Well we'd looked previously at French Bulldogs online and they're about £1,500!

 

Which unfortunately means people take advantage of this and use them to just make money.

 

Luckily these were confiscated before they could make their money.

 

I wanted to take all the dogs home. They all looked so sad!

[Ttaskmaster]

Is this your first puppy?

[Phil-E]

No. But I haven't had one for about 14 years now.

 

We got our first dog when I was 16 as a puppy (sadly passed away last year). So I've been through the house training, yelping on a night time etc. Unfortunately my parents were weak at the time and allowed him into the bedroom and on the bed to keep him quiet... and there he stayed 13 years later! I was willing to put up with it as I could never sleep properly when he was on the bed but hey ho.

 

Got the home visit at 11am this morning by the Dogs Trust but not expecting any issues. Our garden is ideal at least as it's completely enclosed from when we had a rabbit that had free roam of it.

[Aspman]

He looks like a right wee pudding.

 

Good luck hope it works out.

[Ttaskmaster]

Sounds like you're all set and ready - It's gonna be fantastic!!

Ours sleep in the room with us, but are NOT allowed on the bed..... so they wait until Mean Mummy gets up and leaves for work, before they hop up and cuddle with me, heh heh!!

[kit]

Ahhhh look at the wee face on him  Glad he's got himself a nice new family

[Phil-E]

Home visit just completed. All ok!

 

Going at 2pm tomorrow. Puppy induction then taking him home.

 

I'm so excited. Can't wait to see his little face around the house!

[cnc]

Good on you for giving a home to a rescue dog Phil-E. Through no fault of their own hundreds if not thousands of dogs are just waiting for their 'forever' home. Sounds like yours has hopefully had a good life up to now but will get a much better life with your family. Our last two dogs have been rescue dogs, both 6-7 years old, who unfortunately lost their owners, one through a divorce and the other one's elderly owner died. They both lived great lives with us, one lived to be 15 years old the other one over 16.

Due to my wife's and my work commitments we're currently without a dog but regularly look after our daughters Lurcher, all three dogs took us to places we wouldn't usually visit, out in the countryside, National Trust properties with country walks, beaches that allow dogs, etc.

We really miss having our own dog but some day when we lead less hectic lives we'll have another one, probably an older dog 6+ years from a rescue centre.    

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Beautiful boy! Hope he settles in nicely, I remember those early days all too well  

[Tilt]

Their eyes say it all...........a beautiful boy.

 

We miss a local frenchie called 'Reggie'. Unfortunately he got an infection on one of his paws and we haven't seen him for ages. A right little nutter running rings round everything and my Barney loved him.

 

Most dogs are way more intelligent than most humans give them credit for. It's just that most don't understand them.

I put off getting a dog for years because of work commitments.

 

Good luck with him Phil, hope all goes well.

[Phil-E]

I'm getting very excited but also nervous. I feel a great sense of responsibility and worried that we will get his training wrong etc. I want him to be a good dog

 

But I've been watching loads of youtube videos and getting lots of good ideas for training.

 

I've taken the afternoon off work. Not long now.

 

More pics/videos to follow!

[Aspman]

He's a pup, basically a toddler for the next year so of course he'll be difficult sometimes.

 

But as long as you're handling him lots and socialising him properly the rest will come. But he'll be bonkers until he's about 2 nothing you can do about that.

 

And a few hours of pitiful whimpering and he'll be on your bed as well.

[Robshaw]

Hi Jerry, it's nice to meet you.

Gaston.

 

Gaston is nearly 2 now! Jerry looks amazing, I do hope you enjoy! Out of interest, do they give you any discount for pet insurance/vet care plan for re-homing him? I hope you enjoy both the snooring and farting (I'm not joking!) 

 

I'll post some pictures of Gaston below for you:

 

 

 

 

(Puppy)

Edited 25 January, 2017 by Robshaw

[Ttaskmaster]

4 hours ago, Phil-E said:

I'm getting very excited but also nervous. I feel a great sense of responsibility and worried that we will get his training wrong etc. I want him to be a good dog

 

Get a book called The Perfect Puppy, by Gwen Bailey. It is required by most of our local rescue centres that anyone considering a puppy must have read this before they're even allowed a home visit. Many dog schools insist too, as part of their puppy class syllabus.

Gwen also has some great videos online, which concur with a lot of the other respected and recommended author/trainers.

 

Ignore anything from Jan Fennel - She's the gushing fan-girl of a horse trainer (nothing to do with dogs, even) who seeks the approval of her idol, using badly flawed and outdated training methods plagiarised for her own career and even by her own admission do not work very well. If we'd done what she suggested, we'd have probably destroyed our poor, frightened first dog!!

 

 

It will also help to use professional dog training classes - You get the Kennel Club certification for 'Good Citizen' training at Puppy level and later on Bronze, Silver and Gold levels when they're older, but you also get the benefit of experienced trainers who provide a second set of eyes, reminders of things you know well enough but still forget (you're only human) and perhaps even advice on things you never thought of. You'll also get to meet other local owners, share tips and product finds... It's another Owners Club, basically.

 

Better than that, though, the dogs will LOVE it - It's an hour of intense activity, concentration, reward, playtime and especially bonding with you, you lovely food-bearing and cuddle-giving human!!

Years later, if I so much as whisper "Doggie School", mine will hear that from many yards away and come bounding up more excited even than "Walkies".

 

But MOST importantly, you'll get to socialise Jerry with other dogs from the start and he will grow up very well adjusted as a result. This pays dividends every time you go out in public. With the amount of people desperate to kick off on irresponsible dog owners over the slightest thing, this really is a damn good idea for your dog for so many reasons!!

 

 

 

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

8 hours ago, Phil-E said:

I'm getting very excited but also nervous. I feel a great sense of responsibility and worried that we will get his training wrong etc. I want him to be a good dog

 

But I've been watching loads of youtube videos and getting lots of good ideas for training.

 

I've taken the afternoon off work. Not long now.

 

More pics/videos to follow!

 

I'm still going with Vinnie at 3 years old lol. Consistency is the key, I spent hours on youtube watching videos etc. There's a great facebook group run by pro dog trainers giving advice too. 

 

I'm finally getting somewhere with Vinnie now, we managed a long walk in new places yesterday with very little pulling. 

[Tilt]

21 hours ago, Ttaskmaster said:

 

But MOST importantly, you'll get to socialise Jerry with other dogs and people from the start and he will grow up very well adjusted as a result. This pays dividends every time you go out in public.

 .

Edited 26 January, 2017 by Tilt

[Phil-E]

So I thought I better update this thread.

 

We did pick him up as planned and he's settling in very well.

 

He's recently completed his doggy class at the dogs trust.

 

The first couple of weeks were very hard. I think we both underestimated the work involved and just how stressful it would be.

 

He couldn't be left alone for any period of time at all. Literally seconds after leaving the house he would begin to cry and howl.

 

He wouldn't settle unless next to our bed at first.

 

We have now left him several times for up to a couple of hours and he's perfectly fine (we have a doggy cam set-up so we can watch him).

 

He sleeps right through the night downstairs in his bed without a peep from him or any accidents. He comes up to our room in the morning once the heating has come on to lay next to the radiator.

 

I think the pictures speak for themselves:

 

 

First outing to the pub:

 

Helping me fix the hot-tub:

 

I haz a chew:

 

He likes the warm places:

 

 

Third trip to the pub and we had sunday lunch:

 

Spoiled:

 

Love how he sits:

 

Watching French Bulldogs on Youtube:

[Tilt]

So on that fourth picture..........How many a day does he smoke? Lol.

[VWD]

I'D SAY THAT IS NOW ONE VERY SPOILT POOCH. As another member ( or two ) will tell you- if you want a certain breed ,and you are not bothered about the papers( who'd want to , apart from a snob) , forget the likes of Dogs trust( who are a decent lot), but find a breed rescue for your chosen breed. These folk KNOW the breed, and don't want a bad one let out, so if there's the slightest chance of a ( e.g snappy with young children) problem dog, they will advise against it. Most breed rescues are charities, doing it more for the love of the breed, and so most folks are volunteers, so it's only the expenses that they need to get back. Result- you get a dog at a lot less than a main rescue. Best of all - dog ( after checking) gets a home. Bonus- the puppy farmers get cut out of the loop.

My main concern is that it's a shame that a rescue dog is often a maltreated dog, that has to go through ill treatment to find a loving forever home. Mine, BTW, is a rescue . Thrown out ( we suspect) of a puppy farm because she couldn't get the premium prices for the breed . I  suspect KC ,at last had said- "she's had her said lot of litters and now we are not registering any more from her". Result- her pups are now worthless- so Taff the puppy farmer chucks her out on the streets /ties her up ( I suspect) in a supermarket.

 

[Phil-E]

It is very sad indeed.

 

And lucky that on this occasion he and his litter were seized and they didn't get to sell them off and make money.

 

The more that customs manage to stop coming into the country from Eastern Europe the better.

 

It's disgusting that they are treat like cash machines. The poor bitches forced to have one litter after another until they are spent. They even inject hormones into them straight after each litter to get them ready straight away. Disgusting.

 

But he's found a good home. He's pretty spoiled but at the same time we're strict/fair with him. He doesn't go on the sofa (never has and never even tries to), not allowed on the bed (again he's not bothered either), he sleeps downstairs in his bed, he doesn't bark or cry etc as he's learned this doesn't get him anywhere, still working on all 4 paws on the floor when meeting new people!

 

But he gets a lot of love, cuddles, walks etc. Now that the weather has improved he loves to sunbath it seems.

 

 

Another trip to the Pub yesterday after a nice walk in the sun. Getting a sneaky lick of the condensation on the glass! lol

 

[Phil-E]

P.s. He's not going to like us this time next week... going in for his bits taking off!

[Robshaw]

On 3/27/2017 at 08:53, Phil-E said:

P.s. He's not going to like us this time next week... going in for his bits taking off!

 

Fingers crossed for the poor fella.

 

How do you find him on the standard lead and collar? Gaston seemed to enjoy the choking sensation by pulling on the lead when he had his collar/lead. We've done all the heel training but he still likes to try and choke himself.

 

We've kept the collar now but opted for a harness instead and that worked better:

https://julius-k9.co.uk/

 

Interested to hear your experience.

[Phil-E]

Sheer determination!

 

Basically when he's on his lead with collar he doesn't pull. If he does ever pull then we just stop. Literally just stop and wait for him to recognise the tension on the lead and either take a step back or turn and look at us etc.

 

It's very frustrating to begin with as it takes you ages to get anywhere as you're stopping literally every few feet but they soon get the message that pulling doesn't get them anywhere (literally).

 

It's also important to reward when the lead is loose.

 

Dogs trust have a good video that demonstrates this technique:

 

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/training-videos/dog-training-made-easy/easy-training-11

 

He now doesn't pull on the lead at all when we're out. Then you can use the harness to let him have a run around without risk of injury. Jerry seems to be able to tell the difference and goes bonkers running around once on the harness.