New owner - Questions

2201 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by LouieDog, Jan 12, 2008

laor1210

Discussion Starter · Jan 10, 2008

2

Hi,

I am a new basset owner. We got Maddy last Sunday, she was an owner give up due to divorce. They couldn't remember exactly when they got her but know it was between 9 and 12 months ago. She weighs 30lbs. I was wondering if anyone would have a good guess as to how old she would be? Also, I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to get cats and bassets to live together peacefully. How to keep Maddy out of the cats food and litter box. So far we're keeping them seperated except for a few minutes a day, in which they fight. Maddy gets bored really quickly, does anyone have suggestions on toys or activities she can do. We are taking her on 2 walks a day and we're working on getting our yard dog proofed where she can't get out and can run and play. Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll have more question soon. I tried to post a picture but kept getting a Upload failed message.

See less See more

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

Lightning&Stomps

· #2 · Jan 10, 2008

Congratulations on getting Bassetized. From the information you provided, it's impossible to guess her age--did her former owners get her as a young pup? I'd ask your vet about that. As for the questions about getting the cats and dog used to each other, here's what I do: I used dog gates to prevent my dogs from getting into the bedroom end of the house. My dogs are so gate-shy that I can lean a gate against the door jamb, with enough of a gap at the bottom that my cat can get through. (Or if it's a fixed gate, just put it up high enough that the cat can squeeze underneath.) That way the cat can dictate how much time he wants to spend with the dogs. Luckily, my cat now LOVES my dogs, and vice versa. But there are many times that he needs to get away from them for a while. I feed the cat and keep his litterbox outside the dogs' area to prevent them from eating his food and poop. Everyone who visits my house can't understand why I have the gates set up like I do, but it works like a charm for my little menagerie!

Hope this helps. Good luck.

See less See more

Houndsong

· #3 · Jan 10, 2008

Yes, you cannot upload pictures from your computer. Instead, upload them to photobucket.com. Creating an account there takes about one minute. When you've uploaded your pictures you simply copy the URL from there. It's the IMG one at the bottom. Then you can paste that URL right into the post. No need to use the Insert Image tool here.

Yogi's Mom

· #4 · Jan 10, 2008

Welcome! Maddy is a beauty! Have you tried Kong toys for your girl? You can put all kinds of stuff inside them and it really keeps dogs busy. I like using peanut butter and dog cookies inside them. You can even put your dog's kibble inside them. Hope to see more pictures!

laor1210

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 10, 2008

Welcome! Maddy is a beauty! Have you tried Kong toys for your girl? You can put all kinds of stuff inside them and it really keeps dogs busy. I like using peanut butter and dog cookies inside them. You can even put your dog's kibble inside them. Hope to see more pictures! [/b]

I have a toy like that but she has no interest in it. I tried peanut butter on the treats but that didn't help. What kind of treats does your dog like?

laor1210

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 10, 2008

Yes, you cannot upload pictures from your computer. Instead, upload them to photobucket.com. Creating an account there takes about one minute. When you've uploaded your pictures you simply copy the URL from there. It's the IMG one at the bottom. Then you can paste that URL right into the post. No need to use the Insert Image tool here.[/b]

Thanks

laor1210

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 10, 2008

Congratulations on getting Bassetized. From the information you provided, it's impossible to guess her age--did her former owners get her as a young pup? I'd ask your vet about that. As for the questions about getting the cats and dog used to each other, here's what I do: I used dog gates to prevent my dogs from getting into the bedroom end of the house. My dogs are so gate-shy that I can lean a gate against the door jamb, with enough of a gap at the bottom that my cat can get through. (Or if it's a fixed gate, just put it up high enough that the cat can squeeze underneath.) That way the cat can dictate how much time he wants to spend with the dogs. Luckily, my cat now LOVES my dogs, and vice versa. But there are many times that he needs to get away from them for a while. I feed the cat and keep his litterbox outside the dogs' area to prevent them from eating his food and poop. Everyone who visits my house can't understand why I have the gates set up like I do, but it works like a charm for my little menagerie!

Hope this helps. Good luck.[/b]

The previous owner said they got her at 8 weeks old. Thanks for the suggestions.

Yogi's Mom

· #8 · Jan 10, 2008

I have a toy like that but she has no interest in it. I tried peanut butter on the treats but that didn't help. What kind of treats does your dog like?[/b]

Yogi likes all kinds of treats! :lol: I usually buy California Natural Health bars which fit right inside the football shaped stuffing toys and I smear peanut butter on the treat at the top and bottom opening. There is another kind of cookie I buy but I can't seem to remember the name of them. Tomorrow I am going to the pet store to get food for the boys so I will be picking up a bag of the other treats and I will let you know the brand. Another treat Yogi likes are the Bil Jac liver treats but they don't work so well for stuffing in the toys.
Yogi also really likes the Booda Velvet Bimple Bones but I really have to supervise him with them to make sure no big pieces break off. Lots of people on the board say that their dogs love Bully Sticks but I am told that they are really stinky!

Houndsong

· #9 · Jan 10, 2008

If you leave the tags around the url, the picture should appear in the post:

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/Houndsong/skiing033.jpg

This should happen if you just click your cursor in the IMG Code box in photobucket. It will automatically copy it. Then paste it here.

See less See more

LouieDog

· #10 · Jan 11, 2008

Welcome!!! Maddy is so cute!!
As for the age thing...like others have said, you can't really know for sure, but to give you a guide, our pup is 38 lbs and is only 5 1/2 months old. But it all depends on the dog's parents. Not every Basset is the same size.

Marcia

· #11 · Jan 11, 2008

I second the baby gate idea for the kitties. They even make fancy pet gates now with kitty sized doors in them.

laor1210

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 11, 2008

If you leave the tags around the url, the picture should appear in the post:

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/Houndsong/skiing033.jpg

This should happen if you just click your cursor in the IMG Code box in photobucket. It will automatically copy it. Then paste it here.[/b]

Thank you, I fixed it.

Mikey T

· #13 · Jan 11, 2008

Maddy gets bored really quickly, does anyone have suggestions on toys or activities she can do.[/b]

Bustercube or similar toy

You can fill with the kibble she alread eats just reduce the amount fed at meals by the amount used in the vube or otherwise you end up with a fat basset

HOW TO CREATE A MOTIVATING TOY

Tug of War

Dog owners have been admonished for decades to never play tug of war with their dogs because of the risk of it increasing aggression and/or dominance in the dog. Even many dog resource people such as breeders, trainers and veterinarians caution against this game. This is partly a failure to discriminate between agonistic behavior (conflict resolution & defensive aggression) and predatory behavior. Also, many people have issues about witnessing intensity. Intensity is not aggression, however.
Played with rules, tug-of-war is a tremendous predatory energy burner and good exercise for both dog and owner. It serves as a barometer of the kind of control you have over the dog, most importantly over his jaws. The game doesn't make the dog a predator: he already is one. The game is an outlet. It’s intense, increases dog focus and confidence and plugs into something very deep inside them. The big payoff is in lowered incidence of behavior problems due to understimulation and a potent motivator for snappy obedience. There is a maxim in training: control the games, control the dog. It's also extremely efficient in terms of space and time requirements.[/b]

Scent Games
"Easy exercises & games to teach any dog scent discrimination as a fun & enjoyable game using his natural talents. "

Jean Donaldson's Top 10 Dog Training Tips

No more free lunch. "Dogs are happiest when they're exercising their predator skills," she says. "Make them work for their food, like stuffing it inside chew toys, hiding it around the house, or teaching them tricks for food rewards."[/b]

See less See more

laor1210

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 11, 2008

Bustercube or similar toy

You can fill with the kibble she alread eats just reduce the amount fed at meals by the amount used in the vube or otherwise you end up with a fat basset
HOW TO CREATE A MOTIVATING TOY

Tug of War
Scent Games
"Easy exercises & games to teach any dog scent discrimination as a fun & enjoyable game using his natural talents. "

Jean Donaldson's Top 10 Dog Training Tips[/b]

Thank you!

LouieDog

· #15 · Jan 12, 2008

Bustercube or similar toy

You can fill with the kibble she alread eats just reduce the amount fed at meals by the amount used in the vube or otherwise you end up with a fat basset
HOW TO CREATE A MOTIVATING TOY

Tug of War
Scent Games
"Easy exercises & games to teach any dog scent discrimination as a fun & enjoyable game using his natural talents. "

Jean Donaldson's Top 10 Dog Training Tips[/b]

i've been looking for some "scent" games and i tried a couple of the one's in the website you gave, and Louie loved them...thanks so much!!
They're awesome. He uses his nose all the time i wanted him to have a "job" to stimulate him more and these are perfect!

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.