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    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

New TM owner

Tanyalol

New Member
Hello,
I am suffering as well with the crate training and all your advice is helpful. I am going to get a stuffed animal for my guy, what a brilliant idea! Many thanks!
 

Sheena5305

Member
Thought I should probably drop by and update this seeing as my boy is now 17 weeks old (goes so quickly )
Sooo .... Crate training was abandoned , we did try for a good month but it was stressing him out so much he was making himself sick and after discussing it with my other half and the vet we decided that confining him to a crate when we went out was unnecessary stress (thankfully he's not expressed any interest in chewing door frames or skirting yet and is happy with a bone or his deer antler), we still have it up in the dining room and he will use it as a sanctuary if we have a house full but other than that he's happy lying wherever he can roll on his back and when we go out he has the run of our kitchen and hallway.
House training is going well and if the kitchen door is open we are 100% down, if it's closed he will go to the door and 98% of the time will either knock or bark to let me know.
I wouldn't want anyone to read this and think he's been an easy puppy - he really hasn't and there have been days where I've wanted to take him back to the breeder but we are getting there and today is a day where I wouldn't change him for the world


7e2ana4u.jpg
 

Catia

Well-Known Member
Wow--he looks huge--but I need more pics just to be sure...

And what do you mean he's not an easy puppy? TM pups are a cakewalk...:lolbangtable:

NAH!!!! Just funnin ya!

Many (too many)nights, days & afternoons I really doubted myself, & Tessa.
I'll admit I seriously thought about giving her up.

---Come here & vent about it when he's really pissin you off--
These people here know ALL about it-got me through it.

Can't be any worse than the breakdowns I've had--& I've got a few of those dark hours posted here as well.
I LOVE this place for all the help I've received, I think it was our saving grace.

I think it's a mental challenge with a TM, they're beyond stubborn, & it's not being defiant, it's something else, & I'm not sure what the words are for it.

Tessa made me question my perception of reality.
If I am not mistaken, I think I see things HER way now.

I was always a believer in:
"If you cannot change a situation, change the way you think about the situation, & the situation will change"
Tessa, of course, being an old soul, was born knowing this, and she enforced this rule.
 

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
Catia's right, don't be afraid to vent, if nothing else we can all sympathise, and we might have a coping mechenism too, besides copiuos amounts of alcohal!
 

broccolini

Well-Known Member
Athena hated the crate from day one. We kept her in there at night and when we were out until she was four months old. She has been perfectly happy and well-behaved since we stopped crating her.

D'Argo likes his crate. He goes in there by himself. We have just started leaving him out of the crate for short periods of time when we aren't home. So far, he's been good.
 

Sheena5305

Member
And what do you mean he's not an easy puppy? TM pups are a cakewalk...:lolbangtable:QUOTE]

I'd say you would be amazed at the number of people that have met him out and about and even family and friends who have been to the house or who's houses we have been at with him that have said

"Oooh isn't he well behaved"
"Isn't he good on a lead"
"My puppy was never this good when he was xx weeks old"
"They only need short walks and sleep loads?! - Sounds like my kind of dog where can i get one"

but im pretty sure that the little "I'm such a good boy" act that he puts on in public is common placed for TMs, no one sees the devil dog that i have to deal with when im on my own with him

Ill see if i can find some photos that show his height a bit better when i get home later but if im sat on the floor (im 5' 7) he can sit next to me and put his head comfortably on my shoulder and last weigh in at 15 weeks he was 23kg (50lb)
 

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
I'd say you would be amazed at the number of people that have met him out and about and even family and friends who have been to the house or who's houses we have been at with him that have said

"Oooh isn't he well behaved"
"Isn't he good on a lead"
"My puppy was never this good when he was xx weeks old"
"They only need short walks and sleep loads?! - Sounds like my kind of dog where can i get one"

but im pretty sure that the little "I'm such a good boy" act that he puts on in public is common placed for TMs, no one sees the devil dog that i have to deal with when im on my own with him

Been there, done that lol.

The fact that he WILL act out for you means he trusts you, if that helps. Not that its much help when you're dealing with the devil puppy lol. In public his instincts are telling him he has to watch all these people, he doesn't know them and he doesn't trust them. So he's watching, learning, and judging. Yes, even at his age. It can be disconcerting once you realize whats going on, even if you're prepared for it. And don't try to explain it to people, even trainers (unless they've got TM/primitive experience) cause they'll insist you're wrong!
 

Catia

Well-Known Member
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^What Ruth said^^^^^^^^^^^^^

From day 1 with Tessa--day 1--she was a COMPLETE ANGEL in front of others.
It's that still/quiet/stoic observant thing they do.

With 2 different trainers I went to for advice-neither saw anything other than a PERFECTLY behaved puppy.
And she was/is a good puppy--but there are those times where she just wouldn't carry through-but only when we were 1 on 1 it seemed.
Drove me crazy TRYING TO CONVINCE OTHERS.
But not for TM owners here knowing just what I was talking about--I might have developed a complex.

Nice thing is, I can for the most part rely on the fact that she does this (I still don't completely trust it 100%)--I can go into a Petco or to the vet, anywhere for the most part & she will be on her BESTEST behavior. She never steals anything from shelves, sits politely, etc.
But I can bring her home & she'll raid a closet (that the cat opened for her), or act like she has NEVER heard the word "Leave it"...

Everything goes out the window when we are 1 on 1 at home some days!