# Play behaviour?



## kingjonesy (Apr 1, 2011)

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd give you all an update as to how our new puppy Oscar is getting on and how Monty is coping!

We've had Oscar for 10 days now and he's really quickly settled in. He's just over 9 weeks now and can make it up the stairs (lounge on 1st floor), not yet down the stairs.

He's sleeping through the night, from 10pm-11pm through until 07:00 - 8:30am. He has also been very good at letting us now when he wants to go outside and usually takes himself off to the grass!!

Monty has also started to play with Oscar and it’s also improved Monty's appetite as they tend to encourage each other to eat. Which is great as Monty has always been a pain to get to eat!

Now for the few questions I have:

1. Because Oscar always wants to eat Monty’s food, we've resorted to feeding them both puppy food (dry Hills\Eukanuba mix). I assume Monty (2years olds) is ok eating this? When it's possible I try to give Monty some of his food separately, but it's not all that easy. Especially as it seems to be working letting them eat from the same bowl (for the time being anyway)

2. Monty has shown this behaviour before towards guests so it’s not just at Oscar. When Monty has a chew or something, usually edible. He'll protect it and growl when approached. Not at me, I can take it off him and give it back without any growling. Oscar knows what the growling means and tends to keep his distance, should we stop this completely or leave Monty to it? Growling at guests\people I don't stand for, this is more to do with growling towards Oscar.

Regards

Rich


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

It all sounds good Rich and he sleeps longer than Mable she still wakes at 6.30 .. yawn.
I haven't researched what you are supposed to do I can only tell you what I do so you can compare. Like Ive said before Wilfs also a fussy eater but has eaten better since introducing a canine waste disposal to the equation in the form of Mable. I feed them in the same area from different bowls but I have to supervise otherwise Mable would just eat Wilf s and he'd let her no growling.However if he's got a toy or a chew that he does nt want her to have he growls ... I think Id growl at her as well the little madam, so I just leave them to it x


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## weez74 (Feb 9, 2011)

Hi Rich,

It's all looking good! Well done you!

Re the growling, I think it is a good thing. Dogs use their growl as a warning and I think that if you teach a dog not to growl, then you are teaching it to lose its early warning system. Far better to growl and show Oscar that he needs to back off, than to just go straight to biting! Of course, Oscar needs to learn what a growl is, which is something my Rosie has yet to learn!

Louise


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

Flo has had quite a few dogs growl at her when she has tried to bounce all over them and it has taught her to look and listen to other dogs. If we are out and another dog growls she will behave respectfully and leave them alone. So I would leave them be for the moment. Older dogs will growl at puppies but be quite tolerant of their antics so best Oscar learns now what another dogs and Monty's early warning signals are.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

with my lot i like to swap their chews about. ie me taking the chew off Echo so the chew becomes mine then handing it to Delta. Echo is very posesive of chews, more so against Inca. i have worked very hard with her so most of the time Echo and delta can eat from the same bone at the same time. 

monty deserves the right to defend his chews, however i would keep an eye on it. 

the problem with feeding them from the same bowl is you cant garentee who is getting what out of the amount of food put down. and puppy food is higher in protien than adult food. 

i have taught my lot whos bowl is who's so they will almost always(you get the odd slip up) go to their own bowl then go around to check the other bowls for scraps later. 

you can teach oscar patiense by starting the sit stay with him so he needs to let monty get a head start on eating.


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## kingjonesy (Apr 1, 2011)

Thanks everyone.

Kendal, I've started to teach Oscar recall mainly so Monty knows that Oscar doesn't mean come to me.

There is no doubt about it, Oscar is very bright, but do you think he'll pick up sit stay as 9-10weeks old? I'll give it a go, but he's not yet looking at me when I say his name. He seems to know that I'm talking to him, but I don't think he's 100% got it yet.

Do you train your dogs individually or at the same time?


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

kingjonesy said:


> Thanks everyone.
> 
> Kendal, I've started to teach Oscar recall mainly so Monty knows that Oscar doesn't mean come to me.
> 
> ...




lol sorry i sould hjave said you pop oscar on a lead and jsut keep putin g him back in the sit and rewardoing him for it. 

i do individual training, but now owrking on group stuff, the problem is they all try to get closest to me. im trying to get them so i can release them individualy but its still a work in progress lol 

lol i remember with Delta it felt like she only somethimes recognised her name, it comes dont worry.


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## kingjonesy (Apr 1, 2011)

Just thought I'd post a couple of the most recent photos I've taken of Oscar..

https://picasaweb.google.com/kingJonesy/Oscar#


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Love those specs! How cute is that pup


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

OMG toooooo adorable


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## Enneirda. (Mar 5, 2010)

> 1. Because Oscar always wants to eat Monty’s food, we've resorted to feeding them both puppy food (dry Hills\Eukanuba mix). I assume Monty (2years olds) is ok eating this? When it's possible I try to give Monty some of his food separately, but it's not all that easy. Especially as it seems to be working letting them eat from the same bowl (for the time being anyway)


I like to keep track of what my kids eat, but as long as theirs no aggression feeding them together is fine. But I do really recommend checking out the links below and picking your food to see it's rating. Dry Hills and Eukanuba are mostly a 1 out of 6 star food. They have lots of grains and fillers and questionable things like colors and bad preservatives in some of them. 

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showcat.php?cat=all&stype=1&si=hills
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showcat.php/cat/all/page/1/si/Eukanuba



> 2. Monty has shown this behaviour before towards guests so it’s not just at Oscar. When Monty has a chew or something, usually edible. He'll protect it and growl when approached. Not at me, I can take it off him and give it back without any growling. Oscar knows what the growling means and tends to keep his distance, should we stop this completely or leave Monty to it? Growling at guests\people I don't stand for, this is more to do with growling towards Oscar.


Some growling is fine, else Oscar could just go nuts with his freedom and turn into a brat lol. Just make sure it's not to much growling! it could get bad if Monty thinks he can do whatever he wants, they do need to learn keep it civil.

Great pictures!


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## kingjonesy (Apr 1, 2011)

Thanks Enneirda,

Yes I've checked that website and realise the food isn't the best. Oscar has been on Eukanuba from the breeder, which she gave us a small bag of it. We went to the pet shop and they gave us a free sample of Hills.

So basically we're just waiting for that to go then we'll slowly switch him onto Orijen Puppy.

Monty does get grumpy with Oscar eventually and he growls and occasionally he nips Oscar, but I've been leaving them to it, unless Oscar doesn't get the message. Or if Monty starts to get nasty I'll tell him off. 

I agree about your point that Oscar needs to know that Monty is boss; I don't want Oscar thinking he can do whatever he wants!!

Cheers

Rich


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## connie (Oct 4, 2010)

What a little sweetheart!


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