Bought dog from private seller, inaccurate info supplied now I have to pay to neuter.

SeduLOUs

Are you sure that the door chewing is just seperation anxiety thing?

I used to have a collie and if she ever didn't get a 'proper' walk with frisbee time to knacker her out she'd tear the house apart.

Collies are working dogs and need something to do to tire them both mentally and physically. If you don't wear down his energy properly he will take that excess energy out on your doors/skirting boards/shoes/whatever he can get hold of.

I'm not trying to be negative, they are lovely dogs and very obedient and well behaved if trained and worked properly. It would probably be wise to take the advice in this thread and take him to some obedience classes to give him both short term mental exercise and long term training.

sheramber

Do you have a lot of clients calling? If so, you will need to work on getting to accept quiet times when he is ignored.

Do you ever shut him out on his own when there isn't a client?
When I shut my dogs out they immediately want to know WHY?. It is not separation anxiety. They don't like being excluded.

Rather than expect him to amuse himself with a toy I would suggest you get some Kongs, stuff them and keep them in the freezer. Or make one up in the morning if you know someone is coming.

When a client calls give him a komg to chew on. Not only will he have something to do he will associate callers with getting a treat.

When I leave my dogs they get a Bonio biscuit. Despite the fact that they would rather go with us, when I open the tin they run to their beds and sit waiting for the Bonio.

You can find ideas for stuffing Kongs on the internet.

Also, if he has a good walk beforehand he will more inclined to settle down.

Don't think of it as a problem, think of it as a challenge.

nicki_2

gettingready wrote: »

Is this instead of or in addition to insurance?

What does the monthly fee cover exactly/

From the vets website :

They are not pet insurance but are there to cover the cost of routine preventative healthcare, like vaccinations, flea and worm treatments and health checks, that pet insurance generally doesn't cover.

They recommend worming every 3 months, and flea treatment appears to be a monthly thing based on what they gave me last time.

I'm not sure how much it'll be for him on a regular basis for worming and flea stuff. I'm still trying to get my head around what's what. My brain just doesn't seem to want to process it when I start trying to work it out.

They also do free dental and weight clinics.

SeduLOUs wrote: »

Are you sure that the door chewing is just seperation anxiety thing?

I used to have a collie and if she ever didn't get a 'proper' walk with frisbee time to knacker her out she'd tear the house apart.

Collies are working dogs and need something to do to tire them both mentally and physically. If you don't wear down his energy properly he will take that excess energy out on your doors/skirting boards/shoes/whatever he can get hold of.

I'm not trying to be negative, they are lovely dogs and very obedient and well behaved if trained and worked properly. It would probably be wise to take the advice in this thread and take him to some obedience classes to give him both short term mental exercise and long term training.

I thought it was as he was showing all the classic signs, but we're able to leave him home alone while we go to the shops for an hour with no problems. He's also stopped following me every where which is a big relief! I think maybe the problem was that because I've been ill my daughter has been walking him before and after school but nowhere near as far as I would normally walk him. There is also the issue that while she was walking him the other day, he freaked out as she tried to pass some people at the bus stop and ran onto the road (he was on his lead) nearly getting run over in the process. Now my daughter is terrified to let him have any length of lead on the main road, and you can actually see her body language change. We honestly cannot predict when he'll freak out, we haven't found a common factor yet! I'd say men but there is no consistency there either.

He seems to like sleeping a lot, and when I'm sat working he's happy to just curl up on his bed or under the dining table. Right now he's laying on his bed, eyes shut just minding his own business. He has been out for an hour walk this morning, including sitting and just watching the traffic for a bit (trying to slowly get him used to all the trucks and buses around here) and played in the yard with an old football and his bouncy ball a lot. I'll take him out again a bit later for another hour walk a long the same route. I'm just going to eat first!

We're doing training with him, trying to teach him tricks and he's taken on nearly hour long walks twice a day. We're getting there, and we're hoping to get him across to the park to play on a long lead as soon as I've had him vaccinated and the fun fair has moved on. We took him over on Sunday morning but he was quite aggressive towards some of the dogs we met. Which is another area we can't predict his behaviour with, some little Jack Russells set him off others not, pugs he greeted nicely yet a cocker spaniel sent him into a frenzy!

sheramber wrote: »

Do you have a lot of clients calling? If so, you will need to work on getting to accept quiet times when he is ignored.

Do you ever shut him out on his own when there isn't a client?
When I shut my dogs out they immediately want to know WHY?. It is not separation anxiety. They don't like being excluded...Don't think of it as a problem, think of it as a challenge.

I don't have a lot of clients calling, I'm an Avon rep so I go to them generally, but this one likes to knock at mine. This time it was because I've been ill and she wanted to check on me as well as pick up her stuff. I'm going to try just putting him in the kitchen with the door shut instead occasionally. The yard is sort of working, but only if I'm in the kitchen as well. Its something I'm going to try working on, slowly building up the amount of time.

Right now my daughter is away for a few days and he keeps looking towards the livingroom door or standing up on his hind legs at the livingroom window as if he's looking for her which is very sweet, but I dread to think how he's going to react when she gets home on Thursday with her nanna and aunty who will both smell of their dog.

gettingready

at 10.99 per month every month - over a year you will pay around £132.00

will this actually cover vaccination costs? those are once per year and I would be surprised if you paid more than £40.00 per year for those

Worming tablets and flea treatment (I do not do flea treatment every month and I have 6 cats and a dog so imagine if one got fleas.. but they do not and I am against putting poison on their skin every month if there is no reason) - those are very cheap from https://www.animeddirect.co.uk or https://www.vetuk.co.uk

Just stay away from the ones you can buy in supermarkets as those are horrid, especially one called Bob Martin - they burnt and killed pets but are still available in shops


You do not need vet visits for flea and worming

You get yearly health check as part of vaccinations/boosters visit so again why pay monthly for it?

Personally I would rather look at the best insurance I can afford and give this vet plan a miss

missindecisive

i agree. vaccinations once a year..around £22.00. Health checks, are they really needed? you can get them to look at his teeth,claws when you go for the annual booster. If anything crops up inbetween you just go to the vets, why pay out every month for something you don't really need. Buy the flea treatment on line and the wormers, not from the supermarket though. Spend the monthly amount on some insurance x

SeduLOUs

I agree with the advice re insurance and avoiding the vet plan.

If he has some aggression issues around other dogs you will need to work on this ASAP otherwise you will never be able to let him off lead. Again, obedience classes should help as you will get long sessions of socialisation with other dogs as well as patience and help from the trainer and other dog owners at the class if he isn't happy with certain dogs there.

It sounds like he is quite nervous, and if you or your daughter are fearful when walking him this will more than likely serve to make the matter worse as he views you as his leader and will pick up on your nervousness. It might be sensible to stick to tight leash for the time being until both you and the dog get more comfortable with traffic and other people out and about.

Another option to try might be to get a dog rucksack and get him to carry a water bottle for you (and perhaps your Avon calling cards down the line!) It can be effective with some dogs as they are working so become less focussed on other animals and people around them so it may help to keep him a bit calmer.

You're on the right track, it will just take a lot of initial effort to get him where he needs to be and you'll have years of reward from it when you get there.

gettingready

That would be much better option (i addition to insurance of course)

https://www.vets4pets.com/healthy-pet-special-offers/vac4life/#.VSW9ZfnF-oM

With the vet plan you mentioned - you will spend more than that in a year for.. nothing really. Here a £99.00 would pay for vaccinations for the life of the dog so well worth it. The vet plan you wanted to get - waste of money.

Katiehound

gettingready wrote: »

That would be much better option (i addition to insurance of course)

https://www.vets4pets.com/healthy-pet-special-offers/vac4life/#.VSW9ZfnF-oM

With the vet plan you mentioned - you will spend more than that in a year for.. nothing really. Here a £99.00 would pay for vaccinations for the life of the dog so well worth it. The vet plan you wanted to get - waste of money.

That's just what I recommended in post #22! One of my local vets does a similar scheme.
Annual booster round here is around £30- the dog gets a health check at that time.
I buy my worming tablets on-line- I get Cestem- same as Drontal but cheaper.
Hardly ever use flea treatment as my dogs don't get them. However I might get tick treatment- which is POM- as the season is starting.

get the pooch along to dog training asap. he needs to meet other dogs and people in a controlled atmosphere.
I certainly would not be forking out for a monthly vet plan.

sheramber

I also don't routinely treat for fleas.

I have only had a problem twice. First when my dog picked them up from a friend's house- her cat had brought themin but was not scratching so it was only when her dog was found them that she realised.

By that time my dog had spent the evening in her house and got infected.

The second time she picked them up in a holiday chalet.

Unfortunately, this dog suffered from flea allergy which resulted in weeping eczema.

I live in a tick infested rural area and now use a scalibor collar to prevent them attaching to the dogs.

A collar lasts six months and only costs about £12.

Beckyy

I wouldn't go for the pet plan. You can usually buy worming and flea treatments for very reasonable prices online, and you can keep an eye on teeth and weight yourself really. I would rather get a good insurance policy, though be aware it will not cover you for any pre-existing conditions your dog has had in the past.