I got a dog!
43My wife and I have been talking about it for years, and we finally found a lucky pup to rescue. The shelter said he’s a lab/Malinois mix and is about 11 months old. We see the Mal, but I don’t think he’s mixed with lab. Brought him home on March 1st and already love him to pieces. He’s an enormous pain in the ass, but he so adorable it balances out. Meh, meet Cody!
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He’s so big! Congrats
@conandlibrarian Thanks! They told us he was around 40 lbs. He’s actually a little over 50 and probably has another 5-10 to go.
More nap!
@DaveInSoCal that attempt-to-protect-the-sofa-with-the-towel thing will eventually stop.
@DaveInSoCal
@RedOak
You can get pet hair covers for furniture if you care enough.
Or you can just live with the hair and decide the hair doesn’t matter compared to the family member love-love.
@f00l …or get a no-shed variety. I shed more than our dog!
@RedOak I’ve been brushing him so the shedding hasn’t been TOO bad. But his hair is probably very confused because it’s in the 40’s at night and 70’s during the day.
@DaveInSoCal
You can supposedly get doggie vitamins that make them shed less. I don’t know if it works.
@f00l meh
Aren’t they all?
I know that cats control the humans. Is the same true of dogs?
@shruggie We’re working on it. He’s obscenely smart, and it took me a couple of weeks to realize that I can reason with him and usually get some level of agreement as opposed to compelling him to do things by force or trickery.
@DaveInSoCal
So the three of you are trying to decide who controls who?
Enjoy.
@DaveInSoCal Smart is not a good quality in a dog in my opinion.
@shruggie Nope. I’m clearly in charge. I’m electing to try carrot before stick.
@sammydog01 After 3 weeks with him I’m going to agree with you. My next project is basic obedience training. I’m also planning on giving him “jobs” to do around the house like closing drawers, putting away his toys, and doing my taxes.
@DaveInSoCal I like 'em big and stupid.
@sammydog01 Smart is great in a dog as long as it is not in combination with Willful. My experience: Smart Doberman (x2) - great dogs. Smart Blue Heeler - great dog. Smart & willful Weimaraner - disaster.
Nice dog!
Congrats on your new pooch. Smart dog, he’s already got you trained.
@Barney pretty much.
Beautiful! There will be so much much love in your house. I know you already had plenty, but more never hurts.
Yay!
(Even though it’s been over a year now, I’m still not ready to adopt again yet.)
That pooch won the lottery.
Puppy!
/giphy puppy love
Congrats! That’s my dog’s name, so if it’s any indication, he’ll be super-cool but pee on the floor once in a while. Just like his dad.
@KDemo
Cody is!
Congratulations, Dad! He looks awesome. Enjoy the love!
So cute! Congrats!
Really nice pooch! Congrats
Congrats. After getting our first pup back in October, I realized that puppies are so stinking cute because if they weren’t, we wouldn’t put up with their shit.
@SpenceMan01 So much this
It’s a shame that he can’t relax. Hope he gets over that. lol
Cool dog! Congrats!
you got a dog??? and he’s a huge pain in the ass? go figure…lol
i can not imagine my life without dogs.
wish you and cody much joy and a long and happy life together!!!
May you enjoy much love and happiness for many, many years. He is beautiful!
Hi Cody,who’s a good doggy ? Yes you are a good doggy. Oh so cute. Sending you virtual ear scratches.
@CaptAmehrican He is SUCH a good pupper when he’s asleep!
Congrats … I love the pic of him face on the floor butt on the couch… thats my go to drunk sleep
@WendyTVee He’s partially a liquid
He looks like he acts like a silly goofy thing in the photos. Congrats on adopting a permanent toddler. : )
Cute puppo. My ol puppo is highly treat motivated. Cutting up treats into very small parts = lots of reward without ruining the diet.
Too late for an edit. If your pup like to chew:
https://www.amazon.com/KONG-Extreme-Dog-Large-Black/dp/B0002AR0II/ref=pd_lpo_199_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R0TM8JTNH9QQ0WD9Y6W8
@caffeine_dude I have one of the red kong’s for him, but I think he only eats on it when it’s full of treats. I bought a “Kong Marathon” which is working pretty well. He LOVES rawhide bones and tears through them, so that’s been pretty good.
@DaveInSoCal Look at elk antlers on EBay (unless you live in deer country, then look on craigslist). You want naturally shed full rounds at least 6" long, 8" is better. You will mostly find splits but they don’t last as long and splinter more easily. They can be pricey but a solid one will last for years of frequent enthusiastic chewing.
@DaveInSoCal I second @moondrake’s suggestion of elk antlers. I have serious concerns about giving my dogs rawhides but have been buying elk antlers for years. The last time I had to buy any I bought two in October 2015 and they’re still working on them. They are expensive but last a long time for most dogs. These are the ones I always get. One time I bought the next size down in an attempt to save money and it was so much smaller that it definitely wasn’t worth the slightly cheaper price. I gave it to my sister’s smaller dog and went back to this size.
@DaveInSoCal Also, it seems to have a lot of negative reviews on the main page, and I’m not really sure why or if there are consistency problems, but I’ve always been happy with them as long as I stick with that size from that seller. Here’s a link to my review of them from about five years ago.
@PurplePawprints @moondrake I keep reading that antlers are too hard and can damage their teeth. Have you run into that at all?
@DaveInSoCal I have read that also, but it’s not an issue I’ve personally run into in the years my dogs have used them.
@DaveInSoCal All heavy chewing should be supervised. Pretty much any chew toy will have that warning. Not standing over them watching, but in the same room. Any chew tough enough to clean their teeth and keep them occupied could potentially damage teeth if the dog bites too hard. That said, Simba chewed his way through one very large antler (12’’ long and as thick as my wrist) over the course of several years, and the only risk I observed was that as it wore down it would sometimes develop a long sharp end that I’d saw off. His second, same length but only about 2/3rds as thick, lasted longer than he did, and has been inherited by my new adoptees. Simba enjoyed hundreds of hours of chewing on these two antlers. They cost me about $25 each from private sellers on EBay, well worth it for how long they lasted and how much enjoyment he got out of them.
@DaveInSoCal Also, if you read up on rawhide it can cause choking, intestinal blockages and you have to be very careful where you get them from or they can be contaminated.
https://www.caninejournal.com/rawhide-bones/
Zephyr is chewing on the antler right now. I need to get another one so they don’t have to take turns.
You need something?
Put down some socks, shoes, and a leather wallet in his toy collection. If he shreds them, he’s a lab mix. They love leather and socks.
Rescue? God bless you! Enjoy your time with Cody!
@sl_woodard Yup! Picked him up from The Barking Lot
Awww, hiya Cody!
Dogs are good.
@RedOak Good at testing my patience!
You will find in very short time that you & your family are the lucky ones. Dogs are a blessing from heaven!! The Mrs. & I rescued a Puggle 7 years ago, and just can’t imagine our lives without that sweet girl!!
@tohar1 AWESOME! So… how short a time?
I stumbled over this while looking for an old thread. I was out of the country and missed getting to congratulate you on your new family member. I hope you all have many wonderful years together!