Update On Colt & Chewing

Hello,

I've been out of touch for awhile - the Holidays were crazy and we bought a Chimney Sweep business in December, so, needless to say, things are just settling down a little.

Colt is now 7 months old and doing great. We finished Puppy Training Classes and plan to move into intermediate in the spring. Here are a couple of pictures -



(Our thanks to SummerRiot for all the help with the ear tipping. I think they look great and we get a lot of compliments!!)

Colt has learned many things using both verbal and sign language - sit, down, roll over, paw, stay (not for long), release, come (sometimes) and he is COMPLETELY house trained (his best and most easily learned accomplishment). We still have trouble with greetings and jumping. He still gets REALLY wound up sometimes but usually if we are calm, he is. Oh, he also goes into his crate in his own although sometimes he needs coaxing but we never have to PUT him in. As promised from so many of you - all the worrisome puppy behaviors have just about vanished - so hang in there new puppy owners - it really does get better!!!

Colt is still quite small for a Collie - I don't know why as Mom and Dad were average size. He is very healthy though and we have him on Canidae so I do not think it is a nutrition issue. I do wish he would get bigger though....His hair is growing and I think it is clear he is a rough collie.

Colt has one issue that I still need help with - CHEWING!!

He will chew if left alone, and it is usually something valuable - like my Pottery Barn Rug or the molding on the wall. He does this even if I go upstairs for something and leave him down and don't crate him. I still have to crate him if I leave the area for a short amount of time. We ALWAYS crate him when we leave the house (for our sake and his). I realize that this is normal but I would like some suggestions on BONES for him. He doesn't really like toys for anxiety chewing (only for play). He needs a BONE and a BIG one as he is a GREAT chewer!! He can chew up a Ziggy or a Greenie before I even walk away!! He likes rawhide but I have been told to stay away from it as it is very unhealthy and dangerous. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery would be welcomed......

THANKS!!

Gorgeous pics!

I use raw meaty bones or knuckle bones for my dogs.

BUT dr2little just got me some great toys that help keep my pups busy. I forget what they are called but I'm sure you've seen them. I'll find a pic.

Ok I can't find one. I'll ask doc. There are also kongs which are excellent. Fill them with peanut butter and freeze them and it will keep them busy for hours!

I'm so dumb. I have pictures of MY OWN dogs using them lol

Here's the selection



up close





anyway the treats go inside. Depending on the dog and the treats it keeps them busy for a long time.

Chewing at that age is completley normal. You need to keep distracting with what you WANT him to chew on, and if you can't be there, then you need to crate him with items that are allowed. It takes time. It is a big discrimination for a puppy to make.

I completely agree with the above (Saje and Novel). Puppy proofing is vital at this age as is providing appropriate chew items and confining when you can't supervise. Stuffables (interactive toys - JWPETS has some great ones and are the ones that Saje posted ) are my favorite because they can last a very long time if stuffed with a little creativity and are very safe.

If you do use bones, be sure that they are raw, not smoked and are appropriate size. You also need to supervise initially so that you can be sure that they're a good choice for Colt (not every dog is fine with bones).

Supervising really does mean watching him at all times so that he can't get himself into trouble. You can also try tethering him to you when you can't keep your eyes on him if you don't want to crate for certain periods of time.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

I think I will try the treat ball again. He had a small one when he was a younger pup but he needs a larger one now. Colt can empty a Kong in 30 seconds although I never thought to FREEZE the stuffing??!!

Where do you get a raw bone?

I could tether, but being a Collie, Colt is a pacer. He gets really frustrated if he can not keep checking everyones whereabouts. Sometimes I do bring him up to my office and just shut all of the doors so he can't get in the kids rooms. If he does, he will chew up their stuff. Right now I am upstairs but he sleeps now and is out cold on the sofa!!

We definitely puppy proofed - and so well that he will chew the wall or carpet if you're not looking. I don't yell at him even though I want to through a tantrum on the floor, after all, it is MY fault for not supervising or crating, I just want to give him an awesome alternative to go to first if he needs to chew or is just anxious.

My puppy is really funny with Kongs. And food in general. If there is food involved she'll do whatever she has to to get it out. With kongs she sticks her nose right into them and with Maverick's big kong she gets peanut butter on her face up to her eyes. It doesn't take her long to finish either. But freezing! Now that makes it last Definitely worth trying.

Freezing a paste made of smashed up dog cookies (using water and the microwave to make a mush), maybe an added smidgen of peanut butter or cheese whiz, grated carrot. Pop it in a zip lock an stick it in the freezer overnight...should last more than a few minutes.

You can get raw bones from a pet food store that sells raw or even from the butcher or meat department at you local grocer.

WOW - that sounds great - I'm going to go make it now and I'll check with on the raw bones...

THANKS!

How much does Colt weigh now?

Colt only weighs about 25 lbs - we've had some concerns about his weight but he is well nourished and healthy. He is fed about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of canidea a day.

I got him a sterilized marrow bone today and now he's obsessed. Certainly keeps him occupied....He worked on it for about an hour this evening and got a little territorial when I went to take it away. My son had to distract him with another treat. Right now he's frantically searching for it. Is this normal?

I also bought a raw meat bone at the grocery store but I haven't given it to him yet.

Also bought him the treat ball from JW Pets. (It was a BIG shopping day for Colt!!). He's not too impressed with it. I put Old Mother Hubbard biscuits in there and he likes them he just didn't seem too interested in having to work to get them out. It may be a good option for when I crate him and he's bored or anxious....

Most likely the new toy is overshadowed by the other treats. Now if you put the bone IN the JW toy. Well you'd have one amused dog lol.

Now there you go....that's thinking!!!

Right now he's barking at me because he wants that bone. I'm not paying attention......(if you've ever heard a Collie bark you know that's difficult!!). Perhaps the treat ball with the biscuit may seem more interesting now....

lol. Maybe. I know if mine had to choose between a biscuit and a bone they'd totally ignore the biscuits. Funny dogs.

I'm following this thread and like the idea of puttiing a Kong in the crate with my Marissa. My vet talked about freezing, but I thought she said to freeze the Kong--or is it just the treat to go inside? I've never used one and couldn't figure it out from the Kong website when I searched a few days ago.

I've always put peanut butter (or whatever) inside the kong and then froze the whole thing. Just make sure you don't get peanut butter in the freezer! lol

Oh wow, he is small isn't he. Hummmmm, was he the "runt?" Then again I have never seen a Collie that small especially a male. And here I thought Chloe was going to be a small female and she now weighs 45 lbs and she'll be 7 months old January 28th. She eats about 3 cups a day because she's still growing of course but she ate more when she was a few months younger. Bailey (21 months) weighs 78 lbs and eats 3-4 cups a day and he is just right, lean and muscular. Males usually outweigh females about 15-20 lbs. I know Bailey weighed 50-55 lbs at age 7 months. This is about par for the course but 40-45 lbs for a small male at 7 months. My last 2 males (before Bailey) were 75 lbs and 73 lbs. Have you asked your vet if he could possibly have a thyroid condition? Did you see Colt's parents?

His sister was the runt, however, Colt was the smallest male. I did see both parents and they appeared to be average size although I did think Mom was on the smaller side (she was young - only eight months old). Colt was about 6 lbs at 8 weeks but they all looked about the same size. Colt is not pedigreed and his background is questionable. We didn't know any better and bought him from some people we knew who said they had the litter by accident. Come to find out that little girl is getting ready to have more puppies - only one year old and two litters - and they had the audacity to ask us if we wanted another pup!! But i'm off topic again....

I have been wondering about some kind of medical condition that may not be readily apparant. What would some other symptoms of a thyroid condition be? I don't want to torture him with testing as he really does seem perfectly healthy and we never intended to show or breed him (he's already neutered). We love him all the same and, frankly, I think God made him small because he really wants to be a lap dog .

:yikes: Crappy breeder !!! Nothing against you !!! Just don't recommend them to your friends . Poor little girl !

LOL, yeah mine think they are lap dogs too.
Well, I don't know about what other symptoms could be on the list, you could "google" it and see if something pops up. I just know that the thyroid is partcially responsible for size along with pituitary. Actually there could be a Sheltie somewhere in Colt's genetic past, I don't know. But you could ask your vet about it, about what a test would be like. But if he's healthy and happy there shouldn't be anything to to worry about. I'm just amazed at his size if he doesn't have Sheltie in his genetic background.