Hello from an Irish Wolfhound in Australia

[ciara]

Hi there,
My new dog is 17wks old and is already 14+ kgs!. She is an Irish wolfhound/mastiff cross and she has a beautiful nature. Going with the Irish theme I have named her Ciara (pronounced Keera).
We attended our first puppy training day on Sunday and she behaved better than expected.

She is getting used to our cat 'Wally' and bird 'Paulie'. Paulie is an Alexandrine parrot so he is not afraid of anyone or anything! He is also only a baby (6 months) so I am training him as well.
I look forward to hearing from other dog owners, and getting to know my way around this sight...
Wendy
:dogtongue2::dogrolleyes::dogwub:

 

[Jean Cote]

Hello Wendy,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Academy. :dogsmile: It looks like you are going to have your hands full for a few months training your puppy. Have you ever trained dogs before, or is this your first one?

Enjoy the site!

 

[ciara]

Hi Jean,
No Ciara is my first dog to train. I figure that because she is going to be sooooo big I'd better make sure I get it right!!
Unfortunately because she is such a large dog she will only have a limited life span (whisper)
:dogmellow:, so I want to make the time I have with her extra special.:dogrolleyes:

Wendy

 

[tx_cowgirl]

There are many other members here who are owners/trainers of giant breeds. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to talk with you about working with such big pups. Good for you for getting in a training class; you should learn a lot there. The classroom can also help you, and the challenges are lots of fun. Our many helpful members are always willing to answer any questions you might have.

Welcome to the academy, enjoy the site, and good luck with little(or um, not so little) Ciara.

 

[bnwalker2]

Welcome! I'm new here as well.

 

[snooks]

Welcome Ciara and also to your sweet big mello wolfhound. They are such patient and sweet dogs. Did around the site and ask questions. The clasroom has some great stuff too if you're interested. Be sure to check out the monthly challenges, they are great.:dogbiggrin:

Welcome also Bnwalker---I love GSD's..this one is a beauty.

 

[princess]

Dog Training

Hi Ciara,

Welcome to the site! I'm very new too, just joined the other night. Im currently training a Beagle for my course. Everything going well. We've had to learn the same stuff ie sit, recall (come), heel, stay, social walk (loose lead walking) etc. In our course we actually have to teach a "complex skill" although some don't seem that complex. It just depends on how many steps are required in planning to teach said skill. I'm going to do heeling backwards with me standing on the spot and doing the hand commands. Still deciding on 2nd skill I will teach. Either going to do Bandit picking up toys and putting them into a toy box OR being a scent hound maybe work to his advantage by maybe teaching him to find a scent by having say 8-10 buckets (you could use anything) and having something under 1 of said buckets and he would have to indicate to me by putting his paw on the bucket and then sitting down beside it. Could I ask which state in Aus your from? I'm from Sydney. Hope to hear from you soon......................:msnohyes::dogrolleyes:

 

[ciara]

Hi Princess,
sounds like youre a bit ahead of me with puppy training - Ciara has only had one lesson so far and because of Easter we wont be back for another 2 wks. But she is doing well with her basic stuff, we have 2 practise sessions per day as well as any incidental stuff.
I currently live in Gippsland VIC, but until 6 yrs ago I too lived in Sydney! (Eastern Suburbs).
good luck with your beagle training, I look forward to chatting with you again.
Wendy

 

[ciara]

thanks Snooks

Hi Snooks,
thank you for your welcome to me and yes...'my sweet big mellow wolfhound'. I took some pics of her today and will post one as soon as I figure out how to. I've only had her a few weeks and cant imagine life without her:dogrolleyes:already! She is huge even though shes so young, I think the cat and the bird have her sorted into the family pecking order - well their pecking order at least!:dogohmy:

Wendy

 

[snooks]

:doglaugh:Can't wait to see those fuzzy pix. I have a good friend..back in TX that uses them as therapy dogs. They are so wonderfully peaceful.

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Lol she's very cute. ^^ I'm sure she has a lovely temperament considering her breeds.