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A dog just showed up at my house

siff

siff

Scott "Rufio" Feather
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Pretty cute. We've never had one. My wife isn't a big pet lover, but my kids love dogs, and my youngest (11) has wanted one for years. A friend's neighbor has a one year old, potty trained yorkshire terrier/cocker spaniel mix for which they're looking for a good home. Evidently, they keep him in a cage round the clock. He's at our house for a one day trial. Kids are going crazy. Wife, not so much. What should I expect out of yorkies/cocker spaniels? He's a bit of a spaz, but not in a bad way. Pretty well behaved, though highly energetic. Photos to come.
 
being kept in a cage is not a good indication. Ask why....
 
RJKarl said:
being kept in a cage is not a good indication. Ask why....
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I know why, rj. They have a small child and got a dog. Decided they'd keep the dog in a cage so that he wouldn't mess up the house. Too busy to care for him, so he ended up in a cage all day while the house was empty. Got to the point where guilt got the best of them. Anyway, that's why we're watching him for the next day or two, but so far, he's a pretty good dog. Completely housebroken, trained not to go upstairs (interesting), doesn't bite, very playful. Again, he's a 7.5 on the energy/hyperactivity scale, but I can live with that.
 
ok...a lot of times it's about tearing things up
 
My guess is the energy thing will subside....just a lot of pent up energy coupled with new place/people. You watch, he will sleep like a rock tonight!

I had a dog adopt me a couple of years ago....just started sleeping under my car one day. He is the coolest dog (my other dog deacon showed him the ropes and house training was a breeze!).
 
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he's precious!

as for the energy...my dog, when i first got her, was probably a 9 on the energy scale. if i didn't run her for at least 3 miles every morning, she would destroy something during the day. i started crating her, but really didn't like doing that (she didn't mind as much as i did). she has chilled out a LOT though. i no longer run with her, yet she hasn't destroyed anything in a while. it happened right around the time she hit 2 years old. it was a VERY drastic, and somewhat sudden change. if the dog is still quite young, i would say go for it, and the dog will chill out eventually.
 
The biggest mistake people make with dogs is not giving them enough exercise (mental and physical). Going outside to pee then back in makes for a very active/curious dog. The part cocker spaniel requires probably two moderate walks a day plus some playtime with balls, toys, etc for it to be happy.

If you want to confine the dog to an area, try a room with a view/tv/toys so that they have a bigger area to be in yet still are not given free roam nor in a small cage. Kongs, plastic chews, squeakers, rawhides are all great ways to give the dog something to concentrate on instead of wanting to explore the house.

Also, I'll be the first to say it, get another dog. Two dogs play with each other and end up tiring each other out.
 
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Love the tag. :thumbsup:

he's probably closer to an 8.5 on the hyperactivity scale, now that I think about it. :D
 
Nothing wrong with crate training. It can be a godsend. My dogs view their crates as their own little safe space. Yeah, the may not always want to go in there if we're leaving, but still. Prevents a lot of trouble.

Also, don't absolutely count on a dog just calming down on its own. I have an 8 year old Weimaraner that is crackhead to this day. I can take him for a run with me, whatever, it has little to no effect. His energy is still close to a 10 out of 10 at all times.
 
The dog is probably hyper for some of the reasons already mentioned, but also because it isn't in its cage.
 
TWDeac said:
At least you don't have to keep me around the house for a constant reminder of how ugly I am :thumbsup:
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No kiddding...I'm sure you are even uglier under the lights at the Harris Teeter... :thumbsup:
 
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