Lazacka

Congrats lol...........Nigels mom is 100% red/white husky, he's developed red on his hind legs, it looks so cute! otherwise he's still black and white like his daddy.

Hi, I still haven't figured out how to add an avatar/photo to my profile on the new board, is there a thread that teaches us how? Thanks

Nigel, 6 month old male, 3 cups a day of Blue Buffalo Puppy, 1 1/2 in morning 1 1/2 in evening....seems to be working for us, he's 37lbs, looks fantastic and is very active. We walk him 2 times a day with a 30-40 minute walk/adventure and a 15 minute in the evening along with some play time. At 5 months we did it over 3 meals, at 4 months it was only 2 1/2 cups. I know how you feel, this was such a hard question to get a straight answer to, you can't even google it! lol But I am thinking that 4-5 cups a day is WAY over feeding especially for a female, here goes the tmi, how are her poops? I also overfed and found out here and now Nigel's stomach problems are under control.

I want to believe this statement SO BAD but my vet says it's not true My pup (6 months) Nigel gets very stressed if he gets a bath (I have to alert the neighbors we're not beating our dog, he's just getting a bath, but he's the first out the door into the river or the rain, go figure lol). His Alkaline Phosphates were 649, then dropped to 595 in a week and he gained 2lbs in that week. The vet isn't encouraged by this at all. I keep telling them that I heard if he's stressed that it will raise his ALP and they keep poo pooing it....He doesn't show any signs of liver problems, his stomach is still very sensitive and I can't help but think these people over vaccinated him because it was at the time they gave him his 3rd round of a vaccination and he got sick for 2 days after. I am thinking of changing Vets. I just got off the phone with them and I told the secretary that Nigel gets stressed if he doesn't have his breakfast on time and waiting until 9:00 Am is ridiculous to drop a puppy off, he shouldn't be there later than 8:00 AM. She ho'd and hummed and then went with 8:30AM. So I'm going to feed him at midnight to keep the little guy satisfied then keep him up late so he won't be tired and stressed. So, I guess I just want to read encouraging posts (as we all do) Nigel's liver enzymes and all other bloodwork is fantastic, he seems as normal as, well any male puppy could be (drives us nuts, lots of energy, loves his walks, very friendly and no longer cares if you touch his chewy, he actually brings it up to my lap to chew it). Should I be worried? The vet said he spoke with a specialist (I have a hard time believing this because when he came in to see us when we were called back to pick Nigel up due to his ALP still being high, he didn't even know the exact numbers) and that she didn't even seem worried or phased (I want to believe that too!) his initial reaction was to test Nigel again in 4 weeks and see if they go down, but now he wants to do this special test where they starve him and test his blood, then feed him and retest and compare. I'm all for it, but I would like to get those who have been through this prior's opinions. Here's some info: Nigel ~ Siberian Husky (umm...gorgeous ) Age: 6 1/2 months old Gender: Male General Health: Fantastic other than a sensitive stomach when overfed cookies or steals someone's food (he's quick and I tell the kids all the time!) Energy: Hot days in the 90's he will sleep in the a/c go out to go to the bathroom but otherwise comes right back in, great on walks can do a good 30-40 mins before tiring, loves to swim and play (still haven't broken him of his play biting but he's getting better) night time is the right time for Nigel, he would stay outside all night if he could, if he was a teenager I would think he'd be sneaking out my windows. Appetite: Fantastic, eats twice a day 1 1/2 cups in AM and 1 1/2 cups Evening with a couple of puppy cookies in between for some training and a rawhide bone a few times a week, never turns down a meal. He had learned to eat a bit slower, it takes him about 2 minutes vs. 30 seconds to eat now. Coat and Skin: Beautiful, no hair loss, no extra shedding, no marks on his skin, no fleas, a little bit of itching most likely due to not being able to rinse him after his bath, but no dandruff or anything like that. Overall look and attitude, just an energetic puppy who will play at the drop of a hat and still takes naps and loves to steal your things so you'll chase him, can jump like crazy, chases squirrels and birds, no more toy possession/aggression, loves to hang with his "pack" aka family. Sorry for tmi but just trying to get all the questions out of the way lol. Obviously looking for encouraging posts, but want to hear anything. PS, Vet said that the chances of bone cancer are extremely rare, cushing's disease it out of the question and the only 2 things it could be are his liver function (perhaps liver shunt(s) ) or just one of "life's great mysteries" and there is never a reason for it. So again, sorry for my long rambling post, I don't want to hijack someone else's thread, but didn't want to clog up the board with the same subject. If you guys think I should start another thread just let me know and I will. Thanks again in advance

Hi!!! I know exactly what you mean about writing a long post and then it disappear lol it took me a little bit to get used to the new format when it changed and so that would happen to me, I just keep myself logged in now. Yes I read the bite inhibition a while back, we tried it but Nigel didn't respond, he just kept biting harder and no matter what we tried with that, he wasn't having it. It makes so much sense that he has to know when he's hurting you, but Nigel was just getting more excited the more we showed it hurt us. It's so hard with a puppy isn't it? He's really slowed down on the biting and tugging, I couldn't walk across my kitchen floor before now he's responding much better with the "off" command. It's working so I guess I don't want to mess with it, but thanks so much for the suggestion! The Vet, he has a great Vet but this woman was not his regular vet and I'm going to request we don't see her again. There is another vet who we loved that took care of our last dog during emergencies and was the one who had to put her to sleep, she's a little further away and we just figured since Nigel is a puppy and could get into anything at anytime, it's better to establish a relationship with the one that is 10 minutes from the house vs 25-30. I'm not saying that Nigel isn't a tough nut to crack and he did get aggressive with me, hubby, the trainer and the vet and her assistant, but I feel he's young enough to learn and if an e-collar is what it takes, then we'll use it. I will keep you guys updated, he does have his pre-op on the 13th of June so I'm hoping he gets a good report card that day lol I'll let you guys know. He should be seeing the trainer this weekend, last weekend was a holiday so he was off. Thanks so much for your post and advice, greatly, greatly appreciated!!!!

Thank you so much for that schedule! He went about 4 hours last night and some nights he's gone up till 5 hours but we're just re-training him so it's going to take a little while I'm sure. I'm hoping by the middle of June I can get him at least 7 hours a night in the crate and then by the end of the summer 8 hours. He had a lot of stomach issues that's why we've had to re-train him. He couldn't hold it in the crate for a couple of hours back he had diarrhea so bad. His tummy issues are resolved and we're hopefully back on the right track. Thanks again for the schedule and your advice

Oh believe me, he doesn't hold it 8 hours lol but YES I was told that a pup his age should be able to hold his bladder for 8 hours and maybe she said to build it up to 10, not sure but I definitely heard 10 ....for instance, last night I put him in his crate at 1:00 AM after I let him out to use the bathroom, he was up by 4:45 and I came down got him and let him out and he did his business outside (both) and then I put him back in the crate and he slept again peacefully until about 6:30ish when he was let outside again to go the bathroom. I left him in the crate this afternoon for about 45 minutes while I went to get the kids from school and go to the store (we were out almost all day together playing and training in the yard so he was tired) he whined for about 2 minutes then stopped. When I got back he didn't even make a peep until I let him out and he was fine. So he's getting used to it, but there's no way he's holding his bladder for 8 hours. My kids have school and my husband has work so I stay up late with Nigel so he doesn't just get thrown in the crate and whine and keep the household up. They have finals and need sleep (hence the reason he was in the basement) they're out of school in 2 weeks so hopefully by then he can go in his crate from like midnight till at least 7 AM. Time out, you're right, when he was younger he was, as all puppies are, biters and it was becoming unbearable so what we did was shut him outside the living room door where he could see us for a couple of minutes or put him behind a gate and that seemed to work. He's really slowing down on the play biting wish he would lose his teeth lol ouch....but he's much better with that. I would never put him in the bathroom, he thinks that's his own private Pet Smart! If the door is left open, he'll come running out with a cotton ball or body wash, anything he can find on the edge of the tub or in the trash! lol.....so the trash is now in the vanity with the door closed and everything is out of his reach but he'd find some way to get in trouble in there believe me.

Yeah I was so confused about that myself.....I know I'm not suppose to use it as a punishment, but I was mad at him for biting me and I just wanted to get him out of my sight lol. I was just shocked and exasperated and didn't know what to do and knew at the time I was doing the wrong thing. This is why I came here to talk to you guys and get some good sound advice and support ugh...let's hope it doesn't happen again. By the way, Nigel has been doing great with his crate training! As of last night he's back on the main floor and not a peep when going to bed, just goes in, lies down and sleeps. Of course I end up staying up late with him and we're up at about 6:00 am...ish....so that we can slowly get him to hold is bladder and it's working..thankfully! The Vet (you know the one who needs a slap ) said that he should be holding his bladder 8 to 10 hours, the trainer said at least 8 hours he should be fine in the crate at night. So I'm slowly working on that. What do you think I should have done by the way? I didn't want to scream at him (felt like it!) or hit him (would never do that) or bite him back (which really what I wanted to do! lol) I just didn't know what to do

Well that's not encouraging! lol He's actually learned the word "off" and he'll still try to play bite and tug on clothes when he wants our attention (thankfully that's slowed down!) but he's learning "Off" and he let's go immediately....the goes right back to doing the same thing lol

Hi! Thank you so much for your post, that's a lot to take in whew...lol. I was told that you're not suppose to wrestle/play fight with a pup until they're at least 6 months old and wouldn't want to try this with him so young. I also don't know when the e-collar will be used, that may be down the line, I was just told that the trainer uses them and that he suggested we get one for Nigel and basically sooner or later we'll be training him with it. I think we're going to try it first, I don't want to hurt Nigel but I don't want him to hurt anyone else either. I'm working even harder with him now and going to gain my Alpha position back no matter what. thanks for your input and suggestion!!

Thanks, I'll definitely watch that!!!

Thank you husky lover!!! I do realize that I am part of the problem and plan on making sure Nigel knows he's part of the pack but that he is in fact NOT the alpha, that is reserved for the humans I appreciate your post, seriously, thanks! I have watched lots of shows on wolves, it's amazing how much the Sibes remind me of them. I also watch Dogs 101 and a few other shows especially when they're featuring Husky's lol...I'm such a Husky snob now! I will keep everyone updated and you said exactly what the trainer said by the way. I'm not going to give up the fight, we're making strides and I'm stepping it up especially for Nigel, we chose him, we brought him into our family, he's our responsibility and I'm going to show the little brat who's boss lol Thanks again for your post!!!

Thank you Austinville for the inspiration! Happy to hear that Ryn is doing great. I'm working harder with Nigel, he's not even uttering a peep the last 2 nights when I put him to bed in his crate so he's back on the main floor. I am doing the bulk of the training, but it's hard with kids, they would rather play or do it the easy way (not all kids but mine mostly) and this includes my big kid aka hubby than to take the time to make him sit, stay, go and a big "good boy!" after. Trainer isn't coming this week but is emailing my husband some techniques to work with Nigel. I asked about the aggressive behavior and told him about the biting, he said that he meant that he could turn into an "aggressive dog" if we didn't get Nigel under control because he's a very strong willed pup and was showing signs of what he would consider aggressive behavior but didn't mean to label him that. That was the Vet, she's the one who put it in writing and her assistant who is a dog trainer. He also said that Nigel is a smart dog and if we follow his training methods that we will have a very happy dog who will listen and behave. That's all I can ask for, right? He's a nice guy and I'm going to trust him for now, his methods have been working, like I said for a puppy to be 90% loose leash walked and to sit and stay at the door and not cross that threshold without the command is pretty impressive to me. So I'm not giving up, you guys really have lifted my spirits and made me want to just work harder for Nigel. I love the little guy, he's just so sweet when he's good and yes bad when he's bad but that's on me and that's something I fully intend on taking care of. I want this to be Nigel's forever home

Oh I'm sorry lol....he's such a pretty boy! I had pics up but now with the new format I haven't figured it out yet, I'll put them up as soon as I do, still working my way around the new site. I was new to the old site, does that make sense? lol Well maybe they can go on double dates together or something oh and my facebook is annoying with all the pics of Nigel haha....people will post "I saw Nigel today at the river!" instead of saying they saw me

awww...sounds so cute! See I don't expect them to train him if they don't want to, but I expect them to listen to us and the trainer as far as the commands we are working on with Nigel. My son (the lazy one who loves the dog) taught our last dog to sit with a cookie on her nose then flip it into her mouth lol. I think he's just not willing to put the work in with the puppy, who knows??