The Anti Dog Owner And Kizzy

KISMET

New Member
Hi Everone.
I am the most typical “scared of dogs- don’t like them- hate them-never want one” type of person you will have EVER come across-, they didn’t interest me- I would never stop to stroke one and if truth be told, I was actually a little bit scared of the larger breeds…………….that is until I got my Kizzy!
Our cat aged 16 was put to sleep last year and I was completely outvoted by my 9 yr old, 11 yr old and husband in getting a puppy over a kitten. I allowed it on the proviso that I would not be responsible for the walks OR picking up the poo- in fact, as long as I had no responsibility what so ever (and it didn’t wreck my house) then it was okay……….
Well- how my world has changed since then! I am the main dog walker/ trainer/ poo picker upper and carer and I absolutely love her to bits!
She is a rescue dog (they said boxer/retriever cross, but I have my doubts!) and we got her at 8 weeks old in November.
Whether she sensed my disapproval of her when she first came and was especially good, I’m not sure, but we seem to have been blessed with the most cleverest well behaved loveable dog ever! We went puppy training as a whole family
and whilst over the weeks the rest of my families commitment seems to have tailed off- me and Kizz attend religiously and we both love it.
Kizzy learns extraordinarily quick and picks thinks up instantly.
I taught her to “stick em up” and then “Bang” where she lays dead- in one day! She can also roll over, sit, lie down, wait and stay and her recall is brilliant! The only thing she’s not great at is on the lead as she pulls, but we figure its because she’s off the lead more than she’s on (because she is so good at her recall) and if that’s the worst thing she does then that’s not a bad thing.
I have never used stair gates and she has never gone upstairs in my house or on my sofas, although she does go on “her” sofa in the dining room. I take her running with me at 6am twice a week and I’m building up her stamina so we now go for 40 minutes a time- although she runs a lot faster than me!!!! She’s left on her own for 2 whole days a week as I work, but these are the days that I run with her and she also has a dog flap so she can get outside. I have never spoken to so many friendly strangers with their dogs whilst out on walks and Kizzy has completely converted my views on dogs and their owners!
I am hoping to teach her loads of things and maybe start agility with her soon as I feel I owe it to her as she seems so bright.
Looking forward to “virtually” meeting and chatting with you all
Kizzys Mummy
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
OH, WHAT A MARVELOUS STORY!! I JUST GOT BIGGEST SMILE EVER, i loved your every word in this post, i think i will read it all again, what an adorable story!!! YES, doesn't a dog add a lot of joy and laffs to each day?? It's like a lil piece of sunshine running through your house!!:D Iunderstood, and agreed with each and every sentiment and observation you have had, too, how they are lil ambassadors on the street, i've also met neighbors i never met before, too, etc.
and the way a dog greets us when we come home, who can bring their troubles into the home with THAT kind of welcome?? Buddy gives us all a lot more things to laff about, too.

wow, what a turn around, eh? WOW, YOUR most obvious love and pride of your pup just shines right out of my computer screen!!!:ROFLMAO:
and SO AWESOME that you are teaching tricks!!!! FABULOUS! That is so so great for the dog, in so so so many ways!!

(btw, i also chuckled at how you were sort of abandoned by those who promised to do all the work, lol!!!:ROFLMAO:)

SOUNDS LIKE BOTH YOU, AND THE PUPPY, ARE VERY VERY LUCKY to have each other!!! WELCOME!!! I sure do love your story!!
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
FEEL FREE TO POST MORE PICTURES OF KIZZY!! LOVE that name, too!! She looks so cute, but i can't see super well, and can barely make her out in the small pictures.

to post pics, use that "upload a file" thingie that will show up under each new comment box.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"I’m not sure, but we seem to have been blessed with the most cleverest well behaved loveable dog ever! "//

love it love it love it!! You've got it baaaaaaad, :ROFLMAO: and i so so understand!! It's just wonderful!!:D
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Welcome to the DTA!

I truly believe that every dog comes into our lives for a reason. And it sounds like Kizzy was sent to you. Dogs enrich our lives so much, as you are discovering :) Congrats!
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//"She is a rescue dog"//
OH, i missed that part, YAY!!! Good on you for rescuing a dog!!

Now i like your story even more!! (if that's possible, lol)
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
btw, you might wanna check with your vet about how long a 3 month old? 4 month old? puppy can be running nonstop at a time, i'm not sure, but i *think* i heard, their lil hips aren't quite 'set' yet, and prolonged running, or high jumping, can set them up for hip probs later in life, but ask your vet.....
and //"The only thing she’s not great at is on the lead as she pulls"//

i also had a heckuva time with that one, but, it can be done. Getting EVERYONE :cautious: in the family on board will help. and extenda-leashes messed up my dog's ability somehow, to learn how to walk in a loose leash way. So i had to hide those leashes, til Buddy understood what was "loose leash" walking.

This quickie video might help: (i had to watch it a few times, to stay encouraged, but this worked for me)

 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
here are Kikopup's other two videos on loose leash, these are newer ones. Kikopup has several videos on this very topic,
and you can find them all by typing "kikopup loose leash" into your browser, and then select "videos" on the side of your screen to sort out you only want videos.

 

Dogster

Honored Member
Haha, GREAT story!!!! Cat lover to dog lover....:D And yeah, dogs bring a GREAT joy to your life!!!:LOL: I love her name, and she is just the CUTEST thing!!! It's also GREAT that you've decided to teach your little bundle of joy tricks!!!:) And.... AWESOME JOB FOR RESCUING KIZZY!!!!!!!!!!!:ROFLMAO:

Tigerlily made some GREAT points, so I have nothing to add.(y)
 

Anneke

Honored Member
Yup, dogs can do this to people:D
Welcome to DTA!
I have always had both in my life, cats and dogs. And always at the same time.
My last cat ruled the house, she was the queen! My cat Balou plays with my dogs, I swear he thinks he IS a dog, or at least he speaks dog:D
 

running_dog

Honored Member
btw, you might wanna check with your vet about how long a 3 month old? 4 month old? puppy can be running nonstop at a time,
I'd guess that she is 6 - 7 months, and if she is the size of a 6 month old retriever pup she'll be about the size of Zac so barely out of a walking pace when her owner is running :ROFLMAO:. They're probably just going fast enough to discourage her from sniffing!

I know walking is different as dogs can take breaks a bit easier but I was surprised our vet was delighted with the idea of Gus covering 4+ miles on his walks at 14 weeks old. But when I looked round the waiting room at the dogs all of them were desperately obese. I could see that most of the joint problems were probably not coming from over exercise O_o
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
You might be right, Rdog, that puppies can and should run long distances as puppies, but i do not 100% trust all vet advice, nor even all human doctor advice, without doing my own research, but, i'm a skeptic by nature, and i am a research-nerd!!!!lol.

My vet once told me the dog food i'd been feeding my last dog was "great".
:rolleyes: and i later learned-that although that brand was top seller and expensive ------that it was almost the worst dog food in the world, chockful of proven carcinogens which are banned for use in human food. (and yes, that dog DID get cancer):(


there are tons of articles on the net who insist puppies should not run long distances,
and it isn't the size of the puppy,
it's the age of the puppy,
something about their hips being mature enough to do repetitive moves. There are also articles on puppies should not be jumping too high either, as puppies, for exact same reason.

but, like i said, i do not know who is right, there are conflicting articles on this alllll over the net.

// Puppies – regardless of breed, size or disposition -- should not run long distance because their bones are developing and are vulnerable to malformation. Puppies enjoy bursts of exertion followed by intense rest throughout their growing years, which lasts until age two. By four months of age, your puppy may begin to trot half a mile within long walks.//
http://www.jabbour.org/19980921.html


//
However, because joints and bones aren't fully formed for the first year of their lives, puppies should never be taken out jogging or running. After your pup is over a year old, though, it can be a great activity for you both.//
http://www.petco.com/Content/ArticleList/Article/12/1/2227/Exercise-for-Puppies.aspx
//You should hold off on serious fitness training, such as running, until after your pup is a year old. Until then, your puppy's bones are still maturing and overly vigorous exercise could damage his soft frame. Instead, build your puppy's stamina with longer walks or rousing rounds of fetch. //
http://www.petco.com/Content/ArticleList/Article/13/1/2222/Puppy-Exercise.aspx


//The jumps should be no higher than the dog’s wrist at first, or his elbow in more advanced stages....................However, the tendons and ligaments of a puppy cannot develop so fast, and injuries may occur. To avoid these, don’t increase the intensity or duration of the workout too fast........... Avoid any endurance training, if the skeleton of the dog is not fully developed. Otherwise your dog may get injured or have a deformed skeleton. //
http://puppydogweb.com/articles/exercisepuppiesneed.htm



///If you over-exercise a growing puppy you can overtire it and damage its developing joints, causing early arthritis.
//
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/395
//Most young dogs (5-12 months) have enough energy to keep up with a person jogging, but not the brains to stop. The stresses that forced exercise places on a growing and immature skeletal system may result in long term damage.//
http://www.nj.com/pets/index.ssf/2008/10/exercising_puppies.html

i could keep going, on and on and on.......... THERE IS LOTS AND LOTS MORE,
but my point is------->there IS stuff out there that says don't let pups jump too high, nor run too long, cuz their hip bones are not set, or too soft, etc.
BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHO IS RIGHT...........and, having lived with a dog crippled by arthritis, i readily admit, to being be bit of a worry-wart about dog health.

 

KISMET

New Member
Hi All,
Thankyou for the welcome.... I didn't check with the vet re the running, but I did discuss with the trainers at Puppy Training who are "god" in my eyes as they are so knowledgeable and really know their stuff (mind you- as stated earlier, I am completely IGNORANT when it comes to dogs as I know nothing-ask me about cats and I'll talk for hours- I hate dogs- remember!?! ha! Kizzy has taught me so much more than I have taught her!)- She's now 7 months and I started running with her at 6 months and yes- she's the size of a retreiver pup (I think)- I hasten to add- I don't run fast and she doesnt draw a breath- in fact she has time to mooch in the woods and then run to catch me up- she loves it!
I'm used to running up to 10 miles a time and only go for 3-4 mile runs with her currently- I'm trying to get her into a really tight "heel" so that I can run with her on my normal "road" routes as I'm currently driving out to the common so she can run off lead. I've also just invested in a hands free running belt specifically for jogging with your dog and tomorrow morning will be our first go at it so watch this space.....................lololololo
Once again thanks for your responses- am loving this site already......
Will update you all soon
Katy x
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//I didn't check with the vet re the running, but I did discuss with the trainers at Puppy Training who are "god" in my eyes //

well, of course, it's YOUR puppy, and your decision, but do scroll up and look over the links that i was posting at exact same time you were posting.:ROFLMAO:
Most ppl DO 100% trust whatever they hear from ppl they see as authorities on dogs,
but no one knows everything about ALL aspects of dogs, nor dog health, nor dog nutrition. (dont get me started on dog foods!!)
I've read some stuff online from ppl who are top dog authorities, which was false.
Even my own vet, has made mistakes (like about what is "great" dog food)

i'm not sure i'd say, that ppl in "the dog world" tend to be big researchers, imo. Near as i can tell, i think they tend to take "hear-say" as "facts"
or take hearing someone else say something as "evidence", imo.


sometimes if i hear something i never knew, i go googling it,
and sometimes, even spend time actually researching it.
i've learned a lot that way, that i had no idea about before.

i'm just saying..
 

KISMET

New Member
Believe me ...... if you saw the speed I run- you would really not have any concern! Ha! I totally agree that you shouldn't trust any ONE person 100% and I did my own research which stated you shouldn't over run puppies under one year!...... BUT...... Kizzy is really happy with the 30-40 minutes run she gets- I don't plan to increase it any time soon- in fact, I'm using this time to get her into the positions I need her to be so that when she's ready and mature- we really CAN cover the miles-........she doesn't even draw a breath and I ALWAYS carry water for her...... so- in that sense, I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon and I think she handles the 30 minutes better than me! lololololololol
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
oh, i bet the pup DOES indeed love the runs!! :D no doubt!! and like the links above say, many pups CAN run far, and not become winded at all,
that was not the point, at all.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
but, i do NOT know who is right, the articles all over the net,
or ppl who say, "it's fine."


i do NOT know,
and i FREELY ADMIT, that because i did live with a dog crippled by arthritis and hip problems, (absolutely heartbreaking,:( he could not run, and barely walk,:cry: was in constant pain)

so i know that because of that experience, that not everyone has been through, i KNOW that i *AM* a worrywart about dog health.
i admit it!!:ROFLMAO:
 
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