any tips?

[westcountrygirl]

Kim you should not be walking a 12 week old puppy for 2 hrs twice a day!!!!! He is a baby and his bones are not formed nor are his muscles. You can do real damage doing this. At 12wks old you should just be training him to the lead and doing tiny short walks if any.

[kim davies]

oh right.someone whos got dogs told me they should go for long walks.ill stop takin him out for so long.is 10mins each time ok?

[niamherrity]

Kim I don't allow my pup out of the room i'm in, that way I always know when he needs to go to the toilet. You can't be watching him if he managed to get 3 kitchen rolls and your sandals. I go training once a week with my pup it's an hours drive there and back, but well worth it for a good training school. You only get out of a dog what you but into him.

Kim I hope nothing happens to the dog, because in the last week my dog has cost me a fortune in vet bills.

Im a mum of two and I would find it very hard to go for 2 hour walks everyday

[kim davies]

i do watch him all the time.i nipped the shop n instead of putting him in the outhouse i let him have full run of the house.i take him for a walk before kids get up then when kids go to bed.what do you mean by you hope nothing happens?hes not neglected or nothing.

[westcountrygirl]

Kim leaving a puppy alone in the house when there is no-one there and giving him the full run is downright dangerous apart from anything else. There are lots of dangers for a puppy. Live wires for one!! You are lucky it was kitchen rolls and not electrical wiring otherwise you would have come home to a dead puppy. At 12 wks old he needs to be watched like you would watch a human toddler. Also at his age running around in the garden is plenty of exercise, he shouldn't need any walks yet.

[niamherrity]

I didnt mean you neglect him, mine had to have an operation on his eye and he was neutered at the same time it cost me hundreds to have it done.

Sometimes things just happen like my dogs eye, cavaliers are prone to this condition I suggest you get insurance as all animals need to see a vet at some stage and if you don't have much money insurance is the only way.

[Jo666]

I have to agree about the length of puppy walks........2 hours is way too long. Puppies can end up bow-legged if they have too much excercise, they need walks that are 'little and often'. There bones are still growing and can be bent out of shape. At this age your walking them to get them used to the leader, staying next to the master, and socialising with dogs and other people. You need to find a very secure area well away from a main road, then let your puppy off the leader. He will instictively feel vunerable and stay next to you, this is a very important thing for a puppy to learn at an early age.

[westcountrygirl]

Have to disagree with the suggestion of letting a 12 wk old puppy off of the lead away from home even if it is a secure area. Kim would be far better going to puppy socialisation classes, getting him used to the lead, other dogs, other people and simple commands. It is not teaching the pup anything if when she lets it off of the lead it runs off in the opposite direction and she can't get it to come back. i wouldn't bank on a hyperactive springer puppy staying close by if she let it off the lead now in an open area even if it was secure.

[Jo666]

A puppy that is not used to going for walks won't run away......this is an essential part of puppy training, I took this tip from Jan Fennel, the Dog Whisperer. I followed her book to the letter and have 2 of the most well behaved Jack Russell I have ever met. This lady knows dogs <g>. Puppies that stay on the lead gain much more confidence in their surroundings, owners invariably walk their dogs in the same area, hence the puppy get used to the routine and is much more likely to run off when eventually allowed off the leader. Of course, this theory depends wholly on whether this owner has taken this puppy to the same area a lot and is used to it. ALL of my dogs have been let of the leader on their very first walk, and have never moved from my ankles, even once. They are pretty scared at this whole new world and feel safe sticking next to you. Once they feel safe they will start to explore a little, call them back and give lots of praise, constantly re-inforce the bond between you, associating returning to you as very pleasureable with lots of praise.
Dog training is all about simulating 'pack leader', they are domesticated wolves and silently ineract with their human counterparts..........your behaviour dictates whether they see you as a strong leader, or a weak underling who can be easily dominated. Whatever the breed the dog will judge your 'strength' as a leader, the earlier you start, the better the results.

[sophiewins]

Kim, a Spinger collie cross must make for an interesting combination, I bet your dog is full of beans and will need to be kept busy as it gets older. Have you any pictures?

Sophie