I Finally Have A Dog!

[Joshwainwright]

After years of begging my parents and trying to convince them I am mature enough to care for a dog, the day has finally come! I actually have a dog!

He's a 9 month old King Charles Spaniel called Fudge!

 

[myrtle]

Aw, is he a rescue? I've just convinced my husband to let me get a 3rd dog next year

they are like tanks, one just isn't enough! Have you got any pictures yet?

 

[Joshwainwright]

He is, the woman we got him off didn't want him any more. The cheeky chap was apparently taking underwear off of the radiator and chewing it to pieces! She also said she didn't have enough time for the poor guy so we took him off her.

I'll try get some photos up soon, we've only just got him so he's a little shy at the moment. I don't want to attack him with the camera too soon.

 

[Paradise3]

He is, the woman we got him off didn't want him any more. The cheeky chap was apparently taking underwear off of the radiator and chewing it to pieces! She also said she didn't have enough time for the poor guy so we took him off her.

I'll try get some photos up soon, we've only just got him so he's a little shy at the moment. I don't want to attack him with the camera too soon.

My neighbour has a 12 year old ginger King Charles Spaniel called Honey. She's great, she doesn't do anything wrong. Hope ou have fun looking after her. I remember our dog Smudge, she was a whippet cross rotweiller(sp?).

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Jamepsss]

I had King Charles Spaniels when I was growing up, all rescue dogs. First one was a nervous wreck and ended up getting run over Very upsetting for me as a ten year old.

Anyway, we rescued two together next. A black & tan (Louie) and a tricolor (Henry). They were brilliant dogs and lived til 10 and 13 respectively. They used to chase alsations away and were scared of nothing.

 

[fishyfeet]

I have a cavie too, his name is harley and he is 5 this year, ive had all sorts of dogs and i think cavs are simply the best dogs you can get.

 

[Joshwainwright]

Hopefully he's going to come out of his shell and be nice and confident like his previous owner said. I just hope he doesn't become a pain!

 

[Joshwainwright]

I have a cavie too, his name is harley and he is 5 this year, ive had all sorts of dogs and i think cavs are simply the best dogs you can get.

Very cute!

 

[myrtle]

Chewing underwear is very much a puppy thing to do and with training he'll grow out of it! My lurcher also did this; to my acute embarrassment she used to bring them into the living room to chew them in front of guests... Have you got some training classes booked yet? If he's your first dog I'd advise going to some as they are invaluable for socialisation as much as training basic manners and don't cost a lot either.

 

[Baccus]

Chewing underwear is very much a puppy thing to do and with training he'll grow out of it! My lurcher also did this; to my acute embarrassment she used to bring them into the living room to chew them in front of guests... Have you got some training classes booked yet? If he's your first dog I'd advise going to some as they are invaluable for socialisation as much as training basic manners and don't cost a lot either.

Most of my dogs have been rescue dogs but be warned even a young one can have some serious physc issues. Since it's your first dog I would strongly suggest that you look up Ceaser Millan's book "Be The Pack Leader" he is a fantastic dog/ human educator he also has a TV series. My latest rescue dog is a Staffy that we got as a 6yr old who had some real issues with coming when called, chasing any lights (torches/ reflected lights), chasing his tail, wanting to eat our cats, barging through doors (especially when not invited), and harassing any visitors, would not lie down or roll on his back (dominance issues), not letting go of toys, and not eating. We have now had him 3 years and he is turning into a great dog. The people who had been caring for Thor said he would not eat any dog food and would only take some raw meat from your hand. We got him out of that habit in 3 nights with the help of Nutrigel ( and he still ADORES

the stuff). The tail chasing stopped once he understood rules etc (dogs need firm rules) he now comes when called, is not prone to running off when off lead, and is now great friends with our remaining cat (no he didn't get the other one a snake did), and he only chases the hose now when he has been told its ok, but all of these improvements has taken a lot of persistance on our behalf by setting out the rules we wanted Thor to obey and then educating him and sticking to them Good on you for taking in a rescue dog and good luck I have not had King Charles Cav but believe they are meant to be a great childrens/ family dog. Oh and Thor loves kids mostly I think because young kids often have food around their mouths and they are perfect slurp height

.

 

[Joshwainwright]

Fudge has been a darling so far, he's not been with us for 12 hours and he's falling asleep beside us!

He doesn't seem to know his own name so training is going to be essential once he has settled down. He doesn't even get excited to the expression, "walkies!"

I'm sure he will become a great dog.

Edit: Images were too big

 

[Joshwainwright]

Still no stirring from Fudge

I actually can't wait for tomorrow!

 

[Paradise3]

Your dog doesn't respond to "walkies" but when I read that out loud to my mum, my cat's head went straight up, she loves walks. Only one that will walk outside on a harness and lead is female Sox.
BTW, he's gorg! POTM nomination for picture 2. Who will second?

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[fishyfeet]

He looks like a typical cavie, a couch potato, they are happy to lounge in front of the tv, I cant say enough that socialization is the way to go, they can become very timid and shy otherwise, a local animal behaviourist does pack dog walks in a wood near us and im taking harley along, lots of patience and praise goes along way.

 

[myrtle]

Go on, I'll second your nomination!

Teaching a dog its' name is simple; say the dogs name and if he looks at you give him a treat/play with a toy with him. Don't say anything other than the dog's name at this point otherwise the dog may not associate the right sound with the treat (eg, don't say 'good boy'). If he doesn't look at you at all when you say his name you may have to get his attention first by waving the treat under his nose! Once he is looking at you say his name and give him the treat immediately. Do this several times in a row (again, not saying anything else) and he will start to associate the sound of his name with a treat. Once he has begun to associate the name you can move on to waiting until his attention has wandered and then caling his name. If he responds, even just by looking at you, give him a treat. Dogs learn by repetition so you'll have to practice this a lot at first but only for very short periods of time otherwise he'll get bored and training needs to stay fun!

I'm not going to get into a Ceasar Milan debate but I will say that while a lot of his methods are sound, some are dubious such as the use of prong collars. Some methods will work for some dogs and not others, it all depends on the personality of the dog. Personally I use reward based training which has succeeded with my older dog (in avatar) who had serious behavioural issues around men, other dogs, and bikes. When looking for a dog training class don't be afraid to ask them what methods they use for training and even go to watch before taking your dog. If you don't like how they train or even if you don't like the trainer find somewhere else as you need to enjoy the training too. If you're not happy the dog will pick this up and will not be as open to learning as he may otherwise be. Another tip whilst I'm thinking about it is if you start to get frustrated when training don't carry on. Wait until you're in a better frame of mind to continue, you'll both get more out of it that way!

Oh, and I've seen a few Cavs doing agility so give it a go if you fancy it!