New dog... finally!!!
 

As some of you know, late last year I had to put my 13yo Rottie, ChamCham, down after 11 years of loyal companionship. It was one of the hardest things I've ever experienced and takes a bit out of me to even write about it now. I think it took (and is taking) a bit longer than expected to get over it but I know life without a big dog around just isn't very fulfilling for me.

After 6 months of looking at different breeds, purebreds, mutts, rescues, cheap, expensive dogs, I decided life is not complete without a purebred Rottie and I've always had a soft spot for dogs that need help.

Meet Kona:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...r/DSC_0671.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...r/DSC_0633.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...r/DSC_0616.jpg


I picked her up in Calgary last week while visiting my dying aunt. She's 11 weeks old and very neglected. In her 3 months, she'd never been outside, seen another dog or smelled anything other than her own shit and piss. She was apparently owned by people who decided she was more than they could handle, so they chucked her in the basement and left her there. I mean I'm starting from less than zero with this one.

In the 4 days I've had her, she's been bathed several times, is now up to date on vaccinations, socialized with a bunch of new people and in general, finally experienced freedom and a loving home. Although I've owned many dogs (mostly rescues), this is my first puppy. I've never experinced the pleasure (read: pain and frustration) of a big puppy crying and whining throughout the night.... it's fucking LOUD!!! Getting up every 2 hours to let her pee and calm her down is not fun. It was easier to deal with the late night crying and feedings when my son was a newborn (I was a single dad at the time).

It is, however, great to see so much progress in such a short period of time. She's learning how to walk on a leash, pee outside (sometimes) and play nice with our 4yo Yorkie, Buster. Why just this morning when my GF took them out to pee, she gave Buster a golden shower...yay!!! Way to pee outside buddy!!!



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nice man!

my dog is just 2 year old now. The change they go through from puppy to adult... make you miss them being puppies sometimes!

LOL ur dog is a G, golden shower, markin her as the terrortorie fuck yahh
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very cute dog. reminds me of my dog when she was a pup

I think you meant territory or in this case TERRIERtory :troll::troll:

looks like his got pretty big thick legs he's going to grow up big :)

yea the puppy stage is frustration, once it passes you will wish it had last longer :)

I'm sure when she gets older I'll get a bit nostalgic about how cute she is but when I think back to what I'm going through now, I'll be so glad she's trained.

The day after I got home, she got a 10sq.ft. kennel lined with old towels and a few toys and an open door so she can go in and out as she pleases. This should help when we have to leave her in there later on since it's her own personal space.

I got her to stop crying at night by taking Buster's little kennel and placing it beside my bed, with a clock resting beside it and an unwashed work shirt inside. I lock her in there while we sleep and stick my fingers through the grate and she feels enough comfort to not cry unless she has to pee. I only had to let her out twice last night and got decent sleep. It's kind of dumb that I didn't put 1 and 1 together and realize she has a smaller bladder, so letting her drink a lot before bedtime wasn't the best idea - lesson learned.

I recently redid the floors at my place but never got to the kitchen, so it's still covered in linoleum - thank God. When I went to buy her kennel and run errands for a couple of hours, I left her in the kitchen and tied a 4ft leash to the bottom of the stove only to come home to a shitopia of mess to clean up. I mean the floor, cupboards, mats, leash and her. I can't even count how many times she's been bathed. Most of her accidents also happen in the kitchen, which is good until she's trained. Raising a puppy and being anal about cleanliness...uugghh.....

Unfortunately, it looks like her little big sister might end up being the submissive one. I was hoping she'd be the boss but I guess I'll be the only one with that job.

Off to Costco to return my shag area rug. She hasn't been on it but it's an accident waiting to happen and it's preventing her from hanging out with us in the living room. I'll buy another one next year when she's trained. Wicked return policy FTW.

she is super awesome and cute! my pup...well not really a pup anymore..my 16 month old boxer is constantly challenging me and my family. he is SUCH a rebel!

so many things torn in the house and he's such a headache...but i still love him regardless and i just hope one day he'll settle down :) i already miss his little puppy face when i first got him at 3 weeks old

i totally understand what you're saying lol
i have a 9 month old boxer myself, and he's such a handful sometimes... steals food from the kitchen table and finding random things to chew on..

Lol my boxer "brembo" steals from kitchen all the time too! He also chewed on the corners of walls and dug through 2 sofas...
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^ your not alone
my dogs ate all the duck bought for dinner
and chewed up every sofa possible "5"
and walls.. holy shit walls 7 corners easily

Cute dog.

I'll agree, puppy is more work (during the middle of the night) then a newborn. That or maybe my wife just took care of more then her fair share with our son? :)

love this shot, looks like she is looking at the camera and saying "you know this will end badly"

then runs, jumps up, and you get sacked in the nuts...

hahaha

Lets do a dog meetup soon guys!

fliptuner: i applaud what you have done. I'm a huge dog lover and always have a soft spot for shelter dogs or neglected dogs. One of the only things that can cause me to tear up when i hear about their sad stories.

Hope everything goes well with you and your new companion! :)

I got my puppy last year and it was my first dog, and boy was it a lot of work but I think now that he's 16 months old and finally settling down a little bit, you think back and you know it's all worth it. Since this isn't your first dog at least you have a little bit of an advantage. Keep at it and they'll become your best pal for life

Thanks guys.

A brief update:

Since I haven't been working much lately, Kona's been by my side, solid, for the last 2 weeks - wherever I go, she goes. We've got a pretty solid schedule going and I can tell her bladder control is getting better. I can sleep for almost 6 hours without taking her out to pee. I've been pretty good about knowing when she wants to #2 but if there's an accident and I don't get to her in time, she'll eat it. I'm well aware of why she's doing it and working on getting her out of that habit. Which reminds me, I should get some cayenne pepper powder next time I go shopping. 2 hours of daily walks and leash training is going well. Overall, she's leaps and bounds better than she was just a couple of weeks ago.

Cute little story. I went to play poker on Friday night and my GF watched her for about 8 hours. She said most of the time I was gone, Kona was sitting on the rug by the entrance to the garage, waiting for me to come through.

When my GF and I went to the 'Nucks game yesterday, it was the first time she's been left alone in her kennel (4hrs). I couldn't believe I worried about her almost the same way I did the first time I left my son with a babysitter. As soon as Salo scored, we booted it home...haha

She is so cute!

Bawwwww... reminds me of hachiko.

that movie, as a dog lover, gets me every time I watch it. Stupid dogs and their tricks to make us fall in love with them...

No kidding at 2 years my guy now doesn't play with just anyone, infact when I take him to the dog park all he does is sniff and mark. Instead of playing he starts fights by growling and trying to be a punkass, not sure how he decides who to growl at but someone needs to kick his big ass.

Your dog looks pretty cute! It's kind of big..I didnt know a dog grows this fast.
I wish to have a big dog too..but I have 2 cats already and I know they would be upset for sure if I get them a company. lol.

RS Beatdown Crew road trip!

Short update.

Kona's graduated 12 weeks of dog training. WooHOO!! She's still got a lot of puppy in her but she's starting to settle down. Her resonse to non-verbal commands is getting better and we're working on a "park" command, where she has to stay in a small area until allowed to go with a realease word. She's getting the hang of fetching but she doesn't always want to release her ball/rope right away.

Anyways, here's a few randoms of Buster and Kona from the last 4 months:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...uster-kona.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...v27-201123.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...v27-201124.jpg

They pretty much leave each other alone as seen from these taken today:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...mar2320123.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...mar2320126.jpg

release is one of the hardest command for my dog to learn but it has proven to be the most useful command in his repertoire.