misst
Well-Known Member
Beautiful. She'll waste hours and hours of your time 
Puppy getting adventure
- Thread starter Titchy Reindeer
- Start date
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
That's the plan!Beautiful. She'll waste hours and hours of your time
splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
Gorgeous , she looks like a character with those crossed legs . We will need lots more photos when she is home. Congratulations !!!
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Thank you. I'm sure she will be a character, she's already a very determined puppy. I think the "eyebrows" add to the effect.
I'm sure I can manage some puppy spam once she's home!
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Final photos from the breeder, all ready for Christmas:
www.facebook.com
I hope you can see the link. I might be biased, but she's such a beauty.
Bei Facebook anmelden
Melde dich bei Facebook an, um dich mit deinen Freunden, deiner Familie und Personen, die du kennst, zu verbinden und Inhalte zu teilen.
www.facebook.com
I hope you can see the link. I might be biased, but she's such a beauty.
Christmascinnamoncookie
Fais pas chier!
Super mignonne!
Ratface
Well-Known Member
Definitely a "Don't You Know Who I Am?" expression there! Good luck with the training . . .
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Thank you. I'm sure she will have me wrapped around her little paw in no time, but she's a friendly, cuddly, waggy little puppy when she's not showing off, so I'm sure she'll come around. Let's just say it probably a good job dogs are allowed on the sofas at home.
Squeak
Well-Known Member
I've just caught up after your comment in the christmas thread. Looking forward to hearing how you get on with your puppy and comparing Australian shepherd vs terrier puppy experience 
She is absolutely lovely, are you keeping the name Liberty?
She is absolutely lovely, are you keeping the name Liberty?
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Great idea, we can run a highly controlled scientific comparison! Or not! Also looking forward to hearing all about your terrier pup.I've just caught up after your comment in the christmas thread. Looking forward to hearing how you get on with your puppy and comparing Australian shepherd vs terrier puppy experience
She is absolutely lovely, are you keeping the name Liberty?
yes, I've decided to keep the name Liberty, though she will probably get called Libby most the time. I've been reliably informed by a knowledgeable colleague (a parent) that she shares a name with a dog in Paw Patrol.
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Well, she's here! And she's such a sweetheart. (promise I will get some more photos when things are less chaotic).
I picked Liberty up yesterday from her breeder. I took Monster along for the ride so that he could meet his new "little sister" before I brought her home. Monster was extremely good, but was inviting to play and poor Liberty was scared of him so flipped on her back in a puddle after the breeder had given her a pre-departure bath. Oops.
Car drive went fine. Dad drove while I held Liberty and Monster was in his crate. She was fascinated by gear changes and the little Totoro cuddly I have dangling from my rear view mirror but soon went to sleep. Once home, she displayed a healthy respect for the chickens and thoroughly explored the house. She's already picked up that ah-ah means "don't do that" in reference to her tasting my rug or other non-edible items. She's been my little shadow since we arrived but has happily been to see my parents, sister and BIL. I'm gently introducing separation by briefly popping into other rooms and closing the door (bathroom!). She's fascinated by my sister's Fluff-Butt another Australian shepherd with a tail. She was extremely easy to settle for the night. The plan was always for her to sleep in my room with me and Monster, so I set up Monster's crate near my bed (Monster has his own bed) with her toys with the smell of her mum and siblings plus the pair of joddies I was wearing that day (they were definitely already on their way out), closed her in but sat with my hand by the grill, then progressively moved further away as she settled until I was in bed. She didn't make a peep. We went for a pee expedition when my baby nephew woke the whole house up and then she settled back in quickly until time to get up.
I'm now waiting for someone else to get up so that I can take the two big dogs for a walk. (I don't think Monster has peed so much in a while - being a male, every time I take Liberty out for a toilet break, he goes "well I might as well do another one then"!)
I picked Liberty up yesterday from her breeder. I took Monster along for the ride so that he could meet his new "little sister" before I brought her home. Monster was extremely good, but was inviting to play and poor Liberty was scared of him so flipped on her back in a puddle after the breeder had given her a pre-departure bath. Oops.
Car drive went fine. Dad drove while I held Liberty and Monster was in his crate. She was fascinated by gear changes and the little Totoro cuddly I have dangling from my rear view mirror but soon went to sleep. Once home, she displayed a healthy respect for the chickens and thoroughly explored the house. She's already picked up that ah-ah means "don't do that" in reference to her tasting my rug or other non-edible items. She's been my little shadow since we arrived but has happily been to see my parents, sister and BIL. I'm gently introducing separation by briefly popping into other rooms and closing the door (bathroom!). She's fascinated by my sister's Fluff-Butt another Australian shepherd with a tail. She was extremely easy to settle for the night. The plan was always for her to sleep in my room with me and Monster, so I set up Monster's crate near my bed (Monster has his own bed) with her toys with the smell of her mum and siblings plus the pair of joddies I was wearing that day (they were definitely already on their way out), closed her in but sat with my hand by the grill, then progressively moved further away as she settled until I was in bed. She didn't make a peep. We went for a pee expedition when my baby nephew woke the whole house up and then she settled back in quickly until time to get up.
I'm now waiting for someone else to get up so that I can take the two big dogs for a walk. (I don't think Monster has peed so much in a while - being a male, every time I take Liberty out for a toilet break, he goes "well I might as well do another one then"!)
splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
All sounding positive, can’t wait for pics
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
As promised...
Guess which picture was not taken by myself on a mobile phone.
Guess which picture was not taken by myself on a mobile phone.
BallyRoanBaubles
Buys real biscuits
Oh so adorable
Moobli
Well-Known Member
Beautiful
Christmascinnamoncookie
Fais pas chier!
She’s adorable!
misst
Well-Known Member
The one facing the camera with the blue background - she looks so grown up! Also a very superior look I feel Good luck with the puppy training! She's beautiful.
Good luck with the puppy training! She's beautiful.
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Well guessed! She does look rather grown up at times, but she's still just a small ball of fluff.The one facing the camera with the blue background - she looks so grown up! Also a very superior look I feel
I'm not sure I can talk about puppy training, more like puppy managing at the moment! Turns out I'm not brilliant at toilet training. The first couple of meals, she'd stop half way through to have a pee or a poo and I couldn't get to her in time because I'd put her in her playpen to eat in peace. We got over that by eating outside a couple of times. And I seem to have the worst timing in the world: I'll be just about to let her out when she squats and pees. I've also had a few ninja poos that I'm not even sure when she produced them.
We've done a couple of tiny learning to sit sessions (I take 6 treats and that's it, to avoid getting carried away), she's my little shadow and she's already identified me as her safe place, so that is good. She's had to stay alone in her playpen either with Monster in the same room but outside the playpen, or without Monster when I take him for a walk. She seems to take it well and fell asleep in her crate in the back of the car during my riding lesson today (car was just outside the arena). I always leave her with her toys, a chew and a bowl of water.
Her and Monster get on like a house on fire. I'm so pleased with him. He's as gentle and patient as he knows how to be. I split them up when it looks like things are going too far or I think it's time to rest. I don't think either them really knows how to break off playing once they've started.
splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
I always thought I was pretty good at housetraining but my boy terrier was really difficult, I would take him out regularly and he would come in and pee or poo, sometimes in his crate so his bedding would be disgusting and needed washing. Eventually I cracked it by giving him a treat every time he did anything outside and he has been perfect ever since , they are all different so you may have to try something different . Good luck
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the advice. I had thought of it, but Liberty doesn't seem overly treat focused. She even leaves some food in her bowl, unheard of in my (limited) doggy experience. I'll give it a go, I may need to experiment to find what she likes.
She is however currently playing tug of war with Monster and I think my heart is melting.
twiggy2
Well-Known Member
Super cute
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Well my little ball of fluff, teeth and claws is growing fast. She's a bright little thing and full of energy.
We have baby sit and baby down now. She at first thought that "down" meant "target the hand with both front paws", which made for an adorable, rather kitten like, lunge into a down, but she seems to have gotten over it.
We're slowly working on recall and I need to introduce stand and give / fetch. The latter for when she's run off with yet another item I took my eyes of for half a second.
She's been to the riding school several times where I nearly always have a willing volunteer to pawn the puppy off on while I ride. I've also had lots of offers to take her off my hands, you know, just in case I don't really want the puppy I waited so long for. Weirdly, nobody wants to steal Monster...
We've also been to puppy class and little Liberty is bold as brass. There was a 6 month old westie that seems to like harassing other dogs and a 3 month old border collie cross who appears quite shy. Liberty took it on herself to herd the westie away from the border collie cross and it was quite interesting to watch her use her bottom to keep the westie at bay without getting near the sharp end. (please don't worry, this was a short part of the class and wasn't allowed to go on for long). It did highlight what I already thought, though, which is that I'm really going to have to proof her recall against running "things".
Toilet training is not going so well, I have crappy timing for it. I have tried the treat every time she goes outdoors, but I may try upping the value of the treat as I already use her kibble for most other training (she gets too excited otherwise).
Here's the little sofa hog in question (along with her doting "older brother")
We have baby sit and baby down now. She at first thought that "down" meant "target the hand with both front paws", which made for an adorable, rather kitten like, lunge into a down, but she seems to have gotten over it.
We're slowly working on recall and I need to introduce stand and give / fetch. The latter for when she's run off with yet another item I took my eyes of for half a second.
She's been to the riding school several times where I nearly always have a willing volunteer to pawn the puppy off on while I ride. I've also had lots of offers to take her off my hands, you know, just in case I don't really want the puppy I waited so long for. Weirdly, nobody wants to steal Monster...
We've also been to puppy class and little Liberty is bold as brass. There was a 6 month old westie that seems to like harassing other dogs and a 3 month old border collie cross who appears quite shy. Liberty took it on herself to herd the westie away from the border collie cross and it was quite interesting to watch her use her bottom to keep the westie at bay without getting near the sharp end. (please don't worry, this was a short part of the class and wasn't allowed to go on for long). It did highlight what I already thought, though, which is that I'm really going to have to proof her recall against running "things".
Toilet training is not going so well, I have crappy timing for it. I have tried the treat every time she goes outdoors, but I may try upping the value of the treat as I already use her kibble for most other training (she gets too excited otherwise).
Here's the little sofa hog in question (along with her doting "older brother")
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Puppy is still growing and seems to be a happy, energetic little soul (what else did I expect from an Australian shepherd!). We're getting there with the toilet training, despite a huge set back due to me spending a day in hospital for wisdom teeth removal right after her very first "clean" day.
I have however found out that you can't do anything right when you have a puppy. Just like when I first got Monster, every random stranger met out walking was suddenly a dog trainer, I'm now finding everyone has an opinion on my puppy rearing skills or lack of. At one end of the scale, I have my dad grumbling about "positive training nonsense" and complaining my 4 month old puppy jumps when excited and chews (my) stuff on occasion. Yes Dad, she's still a baby, I'm working on it. Both my parents keep talking to me about articles they've read in the Times about puppy training and covid puppies, etc. Thanks, but I've got a PhD in animal behaviour, so I do have a vague idea of how learning works, even if I don't yet have much in the way of practical experience in puppy rearing (working on it!). I don't really need some opinion piece written by someone who adopted a dog from Romania two weeks ago (I might be being unfair, I didn't actually read the articles).
At the other end of the scale, I took her to a riding competition for some socialisation (she was very good). I tell every one that asks that they can say hello to her, but they have to bend down, she's not allowed to jump up. The number of responses that were "Oh, its ok, I'm wearing my dirty trousers" was astounding. I explained that it was beside the point as she can't tell the difference between dirty and clean trousers and has to learn not to jump up at all. One lady that I know was "oh, but she's only a baby, she needs to have fun". Yep, she can have fun some other way that doesn't involve her being rewarded for antisocial doggy behaviour.
She's also come to a couple of dog trainer training courses with me. She was so good even though she had to spend a long time in the crate in the teaching room during the theory (lots of toilet breaks and exercise around it). It gave her the opportunity to meet many different types of dogs including a Newfoundland that she became good friends with. I tend to take her out with me if possible, my reasoning being if she's in her crate in the car, I can get her out a lot more often than if she's in her playpen at home. She also gets to see the world that way. She stays in her playpen at home quite happily for up to three or four hours between visits now. Monster is in the same room as her, so she's not alone but he's safe from constant ear chewing!
Here's Libby on her first beach trip:
I have however found out that you can't do anything right when you have a puppy. Just like when I first got Monster, every random stranger met out walking was suddenly a dog trainer, I'm now finding everyone has an opinion on my puppy rearing skills or lack of. At one end of the scale, I have my dad grumbling about "positive training nonsense" and complaining my 4 month old puppy jumps when excited and chews (my) stuff on occasion. Yes Dad, she's still a baby, I'm working on it. Both my parents keep talking to me about articles they've read in the Times about puppy training and covid puppies, etc. Thanks, but I've got a PhD in animal behaviour, so I do have a vague idea of how learning works, even if I don't yet have much in the way of practical experience in puppy rearing (working on it!). I don't really need some opinion piece written by someone who adopted a dog from Romania two weeks ago (I might be being unfair, I didn't actually read the articles).
At the other end of the scale, I took her to a riding competition for some socialisation (she was very good). I tell every one that asks that they can say hello to her, but they have to bend down, she's not allowed to jump up. The number of responses that were "Oh, its ok, I'm wearing my dirty trousers" was astounding. I explained that it was beside the point as she can't tell the difference between dirty and clean trousers and has to learn not to jump up at all. One lady that I know was "oh, but she's only a baby, she needs to have fun". Yep, she can have fun some other way that doesn't involve her being rewarded for antisocial doggy behaviour.
She's also come to a couple of dog trainer training courses with me. She was so good even though she had to spend a long time in the crate in the teaching room during the theory (lots of toilet breaks and exercise around it). It gave her the opportunity to meet many different types of dogs including a Newfoundland that she became good friends with. I tend to take her out with me if possible, my reasoning being if she's in her crate in the car, I can get her out a lot more often than if she's in her playpen at home. She also gets to see the world that way. She stays in her playpen at home quite happily for up to three or four hours between visits now. Monster is in the same room as her, so she's not alone but he's safe from constant ear chewing!
Here's Libby on her first beach trip:
Ratface
Well-Known Member
You sound like the perfect puppy trainer! Carry on regardless of other would-be "trainers" have to say.
You could always resort to the late Queen Elizabeth II's favourite comment when someone said something unhelpful to her, re horses or dogs - "How interesting!"
You could always resort to the late Queen Elizabeth II's favourite comment when someone said something unhelpful to her, re horses or dogs - "How interesting!"
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Thank you, it's a kind thing to say, but I doubt I'm "perfect", I can be a bit slow on the uptake and often have light bulb moments of "I can train her to do / not do that!" and wonder why it took me so long to remember that. I do however hope I'm improving fast enough to end up up with a happy, well behaved dog in the near future.
I might try your advice for unhelpful comments, but I may end up turning into a parrot in the process!
poiuytrewq
Well-Known Member
She's lovely!
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
Thank you! I definitely think so, anyway.
skinnydipper
Well-Known Member
Crikey, and there was me telling you not to stop him giving a warning when he wasn't comfortable
.I now know who to come to if I need advice
Titchy Reindeer
Well-Known Member
To be fair, you'll have more luck if you want to know how meerkats communicate!Crikey, and there was me telling you not to stop him giving a warning when he wasn't comfortable
I now know who to come to if I need advice
We did cover most the basics in uni though, including learning theory, classic and operant conditioning and so on. (very useful for rooting out rubbish youtubers when they give the wrong definition for "positive punishment"). I've a few friends who either studied dogs or used dogs to collect their data for their PhDs, they're extremely good resources if I need any information. What I'm really lacking is real world experience with dogs, which is what I'm trying to build up, with my two and also by becoming a volunteer dog trainer at the dog club. My theory being that I'm a hopefully decent horsewoman because I've interacted with, handled and ridden a LOT of horses, if I limit myself to just a couple of dogs, I'm simply not going to get enough experience and as I can't have any more of my own at the minute, I need access to other peoples' dogs.
All in all, I'm more than happy to take pointers or advice from more experienced dog people, so please don't stop it coming.
Also happy to help out, if my limited experience can be of use.