Dog related spending out of control

squirrelchops2

I have a miniature schnauzer a breed really prone to pancreatitis and, although I am very careful with his diet I do insure him but i shop around each year and it is under £20 a month.

Toys - I what I know parents with young children do. I rotate them! He has probably 10 toys and I only have 2 to 3 out at a time and give him a choice every couple of weeks of which ones he wants to get out of the bag! I haven't bought a new toy for about 2 years!

You can help keep vets bills down by feeding a good diet, buffalo ears are a really good chew for cleaning teeth (dont use rawhide it is vile stuff and so bad for them) and also some illnesses can be treated with human medication eg piriton if they get stung and goldeneye drops if they get conjunctivitis.  Maintaining overall fitness through exercise too - my inlaws dogs keep getting cruciate ligament damage but they are very overweight so no surprise really.

We had a year of trying to sort out our dogs skin - looked like an allergy. Changed foods, monitored everything BUT we think he was allergic to the laundry detergent! He sleeps on our bed etc so I changed to Fairy and he has been sorted ever since.

A big saving has been learning to home groom. We bought a second hand pair of clippers then when my partner showed a natural aptitude we upgraded but within a year we  have recouped that compared to what the cost of professional grooming would be. We paid £35 about every 10 weeks.

My biggest outlay with our dog was doggy daycare whilst i was out working however even then I got an amazing deal of £10 a day which is same as a walk. Now i work from home he goes just once a week to be with other dogs as we only have him.

Katiehound

You may have other training classes in your area- it's worth a look as you meet other dog owners as well as the trainers and pick up tips & ideas from the owners too. 
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The best advice is always go to a training session  first without your dog and see how it is run- it will give you an idea of how other dogs behave, how competant the trainer etc.  My trainers are excellent with dogs & their problems- they've had masses of experience themselves.

Don't forget lots of the charity 'dog' websites have training tips and comments- I'm thinking Dogs Trust, Dogs for Good. Blue Cross for starters

onylon

Daisy didn't do obedience as a pup and has never learnt to do things on command so she really struggles with the whole concept. If I ask for something that she doesn't understand then she starts fidgeting, panting and generally looking distressed.

We now do training with Absolute Dogs which has been amazing. You teach through play and don't add commands until they know the game. We have got pretty good recall now but are mostly focused on reducing her anxiety and reactivity. 

For socialisation (mostly for me not the dog) we do group walks with some locals who adopted through the same charity as us.

Katiehound

You teach through play and don't add commands until they know the game. We have got pretty good recall now but are mostly focused on reducing her anxiety and reactivity. 

 

but that is what you would do anyway... encourage the action that is wanted... and only when your dog seems to get the idea do you add a command.
well, not always thro' play- I'm thinking of house training! and I've done that with all my dogs as they have been rescue & adult.

All I can say about recall is high pitched excited voice, wave arms as if to hug and totally yummy treats!

sheramber

Remember your dog does not understand English. She is having to learn what is , to her, a foreign language.

if you said 'sausages' and gave her a treat / praise every time she sat she would learn to sit when you said 'sausages'.

if someone spoke to you in a foreign language that you did not understand and expected a reaction, you would get anxious as well.

For reactivity you need to keep very calm as that will pass down the lead. Not always easy ( I have had reactive dogs) but is worth practicing.

onylon

Update: 

Costs have gone down significantly now that I have settled into a routine and got all the setup costs out of the way. I'm fostering a second dog which does have associated costs but I'm not paying her vets care so all expenses are predictable for her.

Problem Areas:

* Enrichment items like toys and chews - I'm trying to be more creative and spend time playing with the dogs and creating novel experiences for them rather than just buying something. The problem is that it's a lot more work so I'm still tempted by things that promise an easy win.

We do lots of games using household items and (clean) stuff from the recycling bin. The Absolute Dogs courses I bought have paid off big time and I keep getting ideas for new activities from their videos and free content. Definitely my best buy to date.

* Clothing - Both dogs need coats when it's cold or wet (basically every day in winter) and PJs at night but I only have enough for 1 dog + a spare set to let me wash. Right now I'm skipping walks while I wash things and using blankets instead of PJs on wash night but this isn't working very well. I did do some sewing but this doesn't save much money as the fabric etc is expensive. It's also a huuuuge time sink.

sheramber

Would teh organisation you are fostering for not supply the clothing for the dog?

onylon

sheramber said:

Would teh organisation you are fostering for not supply the clothing for the dog?

They required the previous owner to give me certain items with the dog when he surrendered her. Everything he provided is new and expensive so I'm sure he meant well but I can only use the muzzle. The collar doesn't fit and this dog is an escape artist who knows exactly how to get out of a collar. The lead is designed to buckle into the collar rather than having a normal clip so it doesn't work with the "escape proof" harness I'm using. The coat is a very thick one probably designed for her to sleep in when in an unheated kennel. It looks lovely but even in Scotland she would bake if wearing it for exercise.

I have spoken to my fostering co-ordinator but we are all aware that she could be rehomed at any time so she's kind of in doggy limbo right now. 

sheramber

We used an old cardigan at night for our old dog.

Paws in the sleeves and buttoned along her   back so it didn't come off.