# More ways to exercise our indoor puppy



## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

Bada is still too young to explore the outdoors. The vet discouraged her from going outside until she's four months and she has all her shots. In some areas that may not be an issue. However, our neighborhood is very into dogs and you see them everywhere. We even installed a dog park with an open area, a small dog area, an agility area, doggy fountains, free mess bags and plenty of other amenities. In other words, it's three steps beyond what you'd find in any of the city parks.

Since she's relegated to the inside we're trying to wear her out as much as possible. We give her 3-4 fifteen minute training sessions a day, and give her kongs for her food. She'll play fetch, run across the house to us when my fiancee and I sit in far corners for recall training, she loves tug a war and she has her crazy puppy period where she runs so fast her rear legs get in front of the rest of her.

Still... she's not pooped out. Rarely if ever. Any other ideas on what we can do to wear our little puppy out?


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

Well exactly how old is she? You are taking her for walks at least to start potty training the walk for potty training would prolly be enough to tire out a pup. I haven't heard of a minimum age to be outside, it could be she is just worried about fleas and ticks in which as long as you are bathing her that shouldn't be a problem..

For lela the kong, tug of war, fetch, and her tricks are usually enough for indoor activity because she gets to walk two - three times a day..it is hard to replace that kind of excerise. I would suggest some mental puzzle toys there are loads of options at pet stores. I am considering more puzzle toys myself as though even though Lela gets her walks they are shorter do to the winter and all the ice makes it hard to walk her without getting myself hurt. 

hopefully more people respond.


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## Horseshoe (Nov 10, 2010)

I did just what amavanna did. We worked on things while going out to pee/poo. Inside we did what your doing plus we got puzzle toys. I got Mollie (BC) at 8 weeks and you know people say BC's have so much energy. Mollie was fine with the same things you and amavanna did. We also worked on "settle". It was hard for her at first but once she got the hang of it, I could just say "settle" or "Attle do" and she stops what she's doing and lays down. She's 5 mos now and only gets wound up when I want her to be. Once your dog is UTD on her vacs taking her to obedience will be lots of fun.

It really sounds like your doing great so far so maybe just teaching the settle and puzzle toys will help.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

lol when I saw Attle do I just thought of babe..attle do pig..


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

We're worried about disease not specifically the pests or vectors of disease. Because our neighborhood is socpopulated with animals, that rules out walks for now.I had a strip of sod put in behind my azaleas and a small fence to discourage other dogs from using that area.

Since she's just 11 weeks old she isn't nearly up to date on the required immunity. Since shots have to be spread out over the next month (next set at 12 weeks then at 16) walking is not allowed.

Her training sessions have been going well though. She will sit, lay down, stand from either, settle by laying on her side, roll over, comes when called, goes to her bed, shushes and barks on command, shakes with both hands and we're working on the stays but she gets too excited.

She has kongs, food balls, twist and treat, tug a jug, and others that we rotate but we can only feed her so much a day. Her kongs are stuffed to the "hard" levels I've found online and frozen. 

Still she's part boxer and packed full of energy. My old Akita would run ith me in the morning but this girl is at least a year away from that from a bone standpoint an at least a month from outside walks and dog park fun.

She starts puppy obedience on the 7th though


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

as a boxador owner i feel your pain lol they are full of energy and it dosent go away either lol. They are toddlers for life basically. It seems like an awkward circumstance. Maybe you could take her else where to walk a small parking lot or maybe even someones house that has a large floor plan just some where she can RUN. It is really hard to replace walking and running . For her to be so young she does know a lot of tricks! I mean it sounds like you are doing really well with her not much else can be done till she is able to safetly walk outside. The obedience classes will help out a lot cause usually the rooms are really big and allow for play room. I am sure some more people will have more ideas.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

Gosh, I've never heard of keeping a puppy on "house arrest" until 16 weeks of age, that is such a vital socialization period. Is there a current outbreak of parvo in your area? I would keep a pup off the grass, and out of dog parks until all the vaccines are done, but I would definitely not avoid going for walks and getting out and about into as many [safe] situations as possible.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

Yea I agree I haven't heard that myself I think it is very important to get him walking out doors and start potty training but safety is first which is why I feel you should find a place you trust to take him at least once a day.


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

Actually, this type of isolation is prevalent in the literature. Numerous dog books recommend keeping your pup away from areas that other dogs frequent until their immunity builds up. Since I live inside the DC metro beltway, we have a few million people and at least tens of thousands of dogs. There isn't an area of my neighborhood that a dog doesn't have access to visit and I'd have to drive an hour to get to a place isolated enough for me to not worry. Some diseases that scare me the most like Parvo can survive in the environment for up to a year and are not killed by something as convenient as high or low temps. Urban area's bring their own unique hazards to puppy health that I imagine most people wouldn't be aware unless they raise a puppy in one.

Luckily she's been meeting plenty of people. We've been inviting groups and groups of friends over that make our pup sit, laydown stand and shake before she can play. She's met over 80 people in the last three weeks, played with my cats, and been exposed to numerous things as outlined by Dr. Dunbar's book "Before and After getting your puppy" She also starts pup obedience training in 9 days to start meeting new dogs and she's enrolled in a puppy playtime twice a week starting then as well.

Potty training is still happening outside though. She'll sit to get on the leash, walk to the door, sit to go outside and then go into our private freshly sodded potty area. She'll select a nice area for a pee, walk around a bit, find an area for a poo- decide last minute it isn't a good spot, hop around a bit and then give up and let it go! Then she walks back inside, sits for the door before I open it, sits before the puppy gate before I open it, then sits before I take her leash off.

Hopefully that addresses your concerns to those issues. If you're interested in my setup or my sources I'm happy to PM those to you. In the meantime, any other ideas for puppy exercise?


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

I actually did raise a puppy in an urban area... downtown Toronto. Millions of people, and countless dogs, especially since I had an off leash dog park right across the street. My girl was 7 weeks and 4 days old when I brought her home and started taking her for little walks, being sure to keep her off of the grass (on pavement/sidewalks only) and avoid any poop piles.

I also work in a busy vet clinic in Calgary (also over a million people) and we see more than 30 puppies a month, easily. I've never had a single case where the doctor recommended keeping a puppy indoors all the time.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

Unless you lean towards getting a tredmill for her not much is going to replace walking. There are puzzles and if your place is big enough you can play fetch but the options are kinda limited for exercise most of these suggestions are meant for play and activity


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

I realize you want to make your point. Unfortunately you're taking this thread away from the topic at hand. While I believe you have some understanding of this situation, I'm going to trust the literature by people such as Dr. Dunbar and the advice of my vet over someone on the internet that lives over 2,000 miles away in what I assume are different conditions than those we encounter in the Washington DC metro area. If you want to debate this some more, again I have book/page references, literature handouts and case studies that I can refer you to. If you can't make sense of it, I'm sure I can further elaborate from my PhD in Microbiology and infectious diseases- my specialty is human pathogens and biodefense but dogs are not a unique host so it shouldn't be much of an issue.

In the meantime, lets please return to any additional exercises or tricks I can use to help wear out my little puppy.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

I don't really know what is you want us to suggest. There are so many dog books with "old" information. and you have every right to trust your vet but I dont know why you would want to join a forum and ask for advice and then say we don't know what we are talking about . I mean I suggested treadmill, i suggested taking her to a friend or family that may have a yard that you trust i suggested fetch indoors tug of war . I am just not sure what more you are looking for. I don
't doubt your education but I think you are trying to use your phd as a reason not to take our suggestions at face value. In all of the threads i have read and posted in I have just never heard of anything like this before. I just don't know what other options you want to hear. Please don't think I am being disrespectful either, but alot of us our giving u options it just seems it isnt the options you want .


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

amavanna-

My last is not directed at you. However, if you find anything in the following that addresses "More ways to exercise our indoor puppy". I'll be happy to apologize. I already asked once to move on from this health tangent and in my opinion the following is just an example thread crapping specifically forbidden by the sites TOS.

There's plenty of bad information on there and if that's what covertune wants to debate, she can start her own thread.




CoverTune said:


> I actually did raise a puppy in an urban area... downtown Toronto. Millions of people, and countless dogs, especially since I had an off leash dog park right across the street. My girl was 7 weeks and 4 days old when I brought her home and started taking her for little walks, being sure to keep her off of the grass (on pavement/sidewalks only) and avoid any poop piles.
> 
> I also work in a busy vet clinic in Calgary (also over a million people) and we see more than 30 puppies a month, easily. I've never had a single case where the doctor recommended keeping a puppy indoors all the time.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

I think she just wanted to express her personal experiences living in a urban area and dealing with puppies in a similar environment I do feel she just was trying to help ease your concerns on it.


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

amavanna said:


> I think she just wanted to express her personal experiences living in a urban area and dealing with puppies in a similar environment I do feel she just was trying to help ease your concerns on it.


amavanna- pm sent.


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## BrittanieJo (Sep 23, 2010)

Well...With all the health stuff talked about....Have you tried freezing bits of hot dogs in ice? Used to keep Aggie entertained for some time when she was little and now is one of her favorite treats. Treadmill is also another idea if you have one of course. Luckily you don't have much longer till her shots are finished.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Id be taking this dog out. otherwise you will be ending up with a massive headache in a few months when you have a dog who is terrified of the world. Keep her on sidewalks, and wipe down her feet woth rubbing alcohol when she gets back inside, or put her in a back pack and trot her around. dogs NEED this socialization time, this is a crucial period of time.

I have no other ideas for excersise indoors that hasnt already been said


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

I love the hotdog in the ice thing i will so have to try that. As far terrified of the world, I cant say that a few weeks inside or less is going to cause that much of problem, but the dog is gonna obviously be restless. Maybe if u can move some furniture out of the way you could do some laps with him . Get him to chase you bit, a puppy has short steps so maybe a few laps is all it will take.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Tankstar said:


> Id be taking this dog out. otherwise you will be ending up with a massive headache in a few months when you have a dog who is terrified of the world. Keep her on sidewalks, and wipe down her feet woth rubbing alcohol when she gets back inside, or put her in a back pack and trot her around. dogs NEED this socialization time, this is a crucial period of time.
> 
> I have no other ideas for excersise indoors that hasnt already been said


I agree with this. Sorry if it's not what you were looking for but it's the truth.


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

I too have never heard of a vet telling someone to keep their pup inside until they are 4months of age. All vets are different though.
While you should be careful and avoid places where you know that other dogs have been, she still needs the socialization and the experience. The world is still a strange place to her and she needs to explore it, smell new smells, meet new people. If you keep her inside all the time, she will end up being shy towards people when she grows up. At this age she is establishing her character and her personality. For her to be an outgoing and friendly dog she needs to be exposed to all sorts of different situations. Puppies who are in training to be a Guide Dog for the blind are taken literally everywhere with their trainers and are exposed to every kind of situation so they will be calm and friendly. 
Exposing her to all kinds of things will actually strengthen her immune system over time. (Although you don't want to have her around places that have a history of parvo) Kind of like letting a human toddler crawl around on the floor and explore. Their immune systems are exposed to all different kinds of bacteria and then they build up a tolerance for them. 
I really like that you are being so careful with your puppy, you obviously care for her very much! You can walk her around outside on the side walk and such and she will be just fine. Maybe avoid the dog park for now but get her outside so she can explore this intriguing world!


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

I've managed to raise two happy and healthy puppies - one in a small town, one in a busy urban area, and in all of my experience (with my own puppies, and in my field of work) I have never heard of keeping a puppy isolated indoors. Sorry for sharing my advice and experience with you, it was my understanding that that's what forums were for. However, your "book smarts" are clearly much more valuable to you than any of my experience, so I will be sure to avoid your posts from now on.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

> However, your "book smarts" are clearly much more valuable to you than any of my experience, so I will be sure to avoid your posts from now on.


I hope that you and the OP can come to a mutual understanding. Cover tune is a very avid poster and has lots of good advice to offer. I myself have had to avoid certain a poster due to poor communication and I find it a terrible shame because I know that the person has great advice to offer but not the where withal to talk to me in a way I find appropriate. I think what is the most important thing here that when advice is given it should be taken with gratitude and to try and not take it in offensive manor. Like wise if advise is taken and appreciated the way it should be but not necessarily used the person given the advice should accept that. Hopefully I am understood and no one takes offense to this because none is meant. I just hate to see people chose to ignore a poster be it there questions or advice. The whole reason we are here is because we generally love our dogs and want or need advice or to give it.


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

BrittanieJo said:


> Have you tried freezing bits of hot dogs in ice?


Not yet but I just threw some in the fridge. Can't wait to see how she handles that part.



Tankstar said:


> Id be taking this dog out. otherwise you will be ending up with a massive headache in a few months when you have a dog who is terrified of the world.


I appreciate your opinion but as of now I'm not worried about the socialization issue. We're following all the lists and no one with full information on the situation is at all concerned. She spents 5-10 minutes every hour in the front yard seeing, hearing, watching and reacting. At least once a day she joins us on the deck for 30-45 minutes when I turn the patio heaters on and she watches people come and go on the walking path, see the geese land on broken spots on the lake, and hears the construction/traffic noises from 495. We're providing her with continual unique situations: dropping pans in the kitchen, playing around her with canes/crutches, and by the end of tomorrow she'll have played one on one with over 100 people in the three weeks that we've had her. So as it stands I'm not too worried about it. If you think an added 10-15 minute walk is going to make a significant difference, I'd love to hear why. It's not like this thread is on topic anymore.

Another thing I want you to consider is that in the three weeks that I've had her it's been above freezing for less than four days, the ground has mostly been covered in ice and chemical deicer is the only thing keeping out sidewalks clear. She outgrew her first coat in four days, hated wearing it and without it can barely tolerate the cold on the sheltered side of the house for the 5-10 minutes she spends outside using the potty.



amavanna said:


> Maybe if u can move some furniture out of the way you could do some laps with him . Get him to chase you bit, a puppy has short steps so maybe a few laps is all it will take.


Just this week we finished dogproofing the downstairs. Until then many of the pieces of furniture in the house concerned me. While I didn't care about most of it other than the pieces my grandfather made when he came back from WWII, many antiques used varnishes that are horribly toxic. I'm having those refinished and are at the shop currently. So right now our downstairs is bare and ready for running other than a couch, a chair and two tables. She loves a good chase, especially if you have her favorite squeaker



MusherChic said:


> I too have never heard of a vet telling someone to keep their pup inside until they are 4months of age.
> While you should be careful and avoid places where you know that other dogs have been, she still needs the socialization and the experience. The world is still a strange place to her and she needs to explore it, smell new smells, meet new people. If you keep her inside all the time, she will end up being shy towards people when she grows up. At this age she is establishing her character and her personality. For her to be an outgoing and friendly dog she needs to be exposed to all sorts of different situations. Puppies who are in training to be a Guide Dog for the blind are taken literally everywhere with their trainers and are exposed to every kind of situation so they will be calm and friendly.


Well you're now saying the exact same thing that my vet is saying. I'm to avoid other places where I know that other dogs have been. Unfortunately, that includes my entire neighborhood and surrounding areas. Given where I live, my vet discouraged her from going outside except in areas that I knew I could control. If you bring up googlemaps and search inside/around the Washington DC beltway Interstate 495, you're not going to find a lot of green or even undeveloped areas. Furthermore, we still have an increasing stray problem with this economy and who knows what diseases they're carrying around.

It's funny that you mentioned the guide dog program. We're using the same checklists for new experiences used for both guide and service dogs. Dogs are required to meet a unique situation each day with 5-8 expected each week. Some of the more unique ones that Bada has worked with so far include musical instruments, motorcycles (both listening to the bike, and a small ride in the sidecar), working with someone using a cane/crutches, playing with kids and interacting with other animals (friends dogs, my cats, neighbors house pig). 



CoverTune said:


> I've managed to raise two happy and healthy puppies - one in a small town, one in a busy urban area, and in all of my experience (with my own puppies, and in my field of work) I have never heard of keeping a puppy isolated indoors.


And that's not what you're hearing here. She goes outside into protected places, and she is inundated with people and situations inside my house. 

You can keep rewording it, but yet again I don't care. No matter how many times you rephrase it, I started this thread to answer a particular question. I've gotten plenty of great responses. You raised a valid concern, but I told you my reasons for it and asked you to move on.

In an ideal world I'd let Bada outside right now, instead I have experts- not some random Canadian vet tech- telling me it's not the best idea. Find me a piece of literature that tells me the following "Even if you live in a high risk area, you must take your puppy on multiple 10-15 minute walks a day or she'll be a basketcase for life."



> Sorry for sharing my advice and experience with you, it was my understanding that that's what forums were for.


I'm happy if you want to share, but when your continually try to go off on a tangent that drives the conversation away from the thread subject then you're not only being rude, you're violating the sites no thread crapping rules (http://www.dogforums.com/attention-all-new-members/82908-forum-rules-read-before.html). If you think hijacking my thread to the point that most of the posts don't even address the main question, then I'm certain that you have no idea why forums exist.



> However, your "book smarts" are clearly much more valuable to you than any of my experience


In any information system outliers tend to be ignored. When people tell me about how they drank during pregnancy yet their kid turned out fine, or never wear their seat belt and survived three crashes, or cheated on their taxes with nothing happening- doesn't mean I'm going to follow that advice. You're train of thought of " I did it this way and I've never heard it any other" falls under the same fallacy of say the nutrition threads where people proclaim Purina as a phenomenal food b/c they raised x many dogs well on it. I will give you this though, anecdotal evidence makes for a great story and a wealth of self righteousness.

I've got books, articles and experts that seem to think that you're wrong. You have a continually reinforced opinion based on anecdotal evidence. Seriously, which one would you choose?

Take your walking example "My girl was 7 weeks and 4 days old when I brought her home and started taking her for little walks, being sure to keep her off of the grass (on pavement/sidewalks only) and avoid any poop piles." In the case of parvo, the virus is a hardy encapsulated virus. You can't kill it with soap, water or alcohol. You need a strong lysing agent like bleach or acetone. If your dog steps on a blade of grass with a smear of feces, it can transfer onto your dogs foot and be tracked back to the concrete, back to your house, back to your car- pretty much anywhere. The same for your shoes, a bicycle's wheels etc. Just because you avoid places with a higher instance of transmission doesn't mean you're avoiding it entirely. That's just one disease, believe it or not they don't all work the same. If your ignorance keeps you feeling safe, then more power to you. I hope it works in the long run.



> so I will be sure to avoid your posts from now on.


Thanks, I'd appreciate it. I wish you'd done that the first few times that I asked.


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

> Well you're now saying the exact same thing that my vet is saying. I'm to avoid other places where I know that other dogs have been.


Well I was talking more along the lines of places like a dog park or places that are designated for dogs to use for a restroom like a dog run at a rest stop. I apologize though because I didn't clarify that. 
Usually the antibodies that a puppy gets through nursing are enough to protect it from bacteria. If a puppy had to be bottle fed then i would probably avoid taking it around town at least for a couple of weeks but for a naturally nursed pup I wouldn't worry about walking it around outside.


> I hope that you and the OP can come to a mutual understanding. Cover tune is a very avid poster and has lots of good advice to offer. I myself have had to avoid certain a poster due to poor communication and I find it a terrible shame because I know that the person has great advice to offer but not the where withal to talk to me in a way I find appropriate. I think what is the most important thing here that when advice is given it should be taken with gratitude and to try and not take it in offensive manor. Like wise if advise is taken and appreciated the way it should be but not necessarily used the person given the advice should accept that. Hopefully I am understood and no one takes offense to this because none is meant. I just hate to see people chose to ignore a poster be it there questions or advice. The whole reason we are here is because we generally love our dogs and want or need advice or to give it.


Totally agree. 
(to OP)
We may not give the advice in a manner that you find to your liking but it is still good advice. However, we aren't in your situation and we don't know your puppy so we can't tell you what to do, we can only offer advice on what has worked for us which I think is what Covertune was doing. You can choose whether or not to use that advice but we should still be polite about declining it. Advice from others may or may not work for you and your puppy. You have to decide that. Just because something may not work for you though doesn't mean its not good advice. It may work wonders for someone else it just may not work for you.
If keeping your puppy inside for a few weeks works for you then go for it! Just be sure to do LOTS and LOTS of socialization as soon as those few weeks are up. 
(Hope that all makes sense....lol)


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

MusherChic said:


> I too have never heard of a vet telling someone to keep their pup inside until they are 4months of age. All vets are different though.
> While you should be careful and avoid places where you know that other dogs have been, she still needs the socialization and the experience. The world is still a strange place to her and she needs to explore it, smell new smells, meet new people. If you keep her inside all the time, she will end up being shy towards people when she grows up. At this age she is establishing her character and her personality. For her to be an outgoing and friendly dog she needs to be exposed to all sorts of different situations. Puppies who are in training to be a Guide Dog for the blind are taken literally everywhere with their trainers and are exposed to every kind of situation so they will be calm and friendly.
> Exposing her to all kinds of things will actually strengthen her immune system over time. (Although you don't want to have her around places that have a history of parvo) Kind of like letting a human toddler crawl around on the floor and explore. Their immune systems are exposed to all different kinds of bacteria and then they build up a tolerance for them.
> I really like that you are being so careful with your puppy, you obviously care for her very much! You can walk her around outside on the side walk and such and she will be just fine. Maybe avoid the dog park for now but get her outside so she can explore this intriguing world!


I figured I'd keep reading and see if someone else posted my thoughts; you did, thanks!

to the OP: this is the internet. When you post, you're bound to read stuff you don't want to read. While you may want your thread to stay completely on topic, that doesn't always happen.


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

MusherChic said:


> We may not give the advice in a manner that you find to your liking but it is still good advice.


We're obviously going to have to agree to disagree on this issue. However, I'll point out for the future that the "we're patently right" argument never holds water in my book. Especially on this forum where I continually see long time posters on opposite sides of issues.



MusherChic said:


> You can choose whether or not to use that advice but we should still be polite about declining it. )


This is actually the only statement that you've said to which I take issue. I asked covertune on multiple occasions to move on, even inviting her to take her tangential conversation offline. Unfortunately her narcissism prevailed so here we are.



storysunfolding said:


> Hopefully that addresses your concerns to those issues. If you're interested in my setup or my sources I'm happy to PM those to you. In the meantime, any other ideas for puppy exercise?





storysunfolding said:


> I realize you want to make your point. Unfortunately you're taking this thread away from the topic at hand. While I believe you have some understanding of this situation, I'm going to trust the literature by people such as Dr. Dunbar and the advice of my vet over someone on the internet that lives over 2,000 miles away in what I assume are different conditions than those we encounter in the Washington DC metro area. If you want to debate this some more, again I have book/page references, literature handouts and case studies that I can refer you to. If you can't make sense of it, I'm sure I can further elaborate from my PhD in Microbiology and infectious diseases- my specialty is human pathogens and biodefense but dogs are not a unique host so it shouldn't be much of an issue.
> 
> In the meantime, lets please return to any additional exercises or tricks I can use to help wear out my little puppy.


She was given ample opportunity to do the right thing.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

InkedMarie said:


> I figured I'd keep reading and see if someone else posted my thoughts; you did, thanks!
> 
> to the OP: this is the internet. When you post, you're bound to read stuff you don't want to read. While you may want your thread to stay completely on topic, that doesn't always happen.


^^Agree. I understand your frustration storysunfolding but I think you're being kind of needlessly jerky. The internet is equal opportunity. If you want very specific advice with no off topic tangents research it youself or ask a personal friend. Otherwise, the people here are going to tell you what they think you need to know to keep a happy, healthy dog. I'm sorry you didn't get as many answers as you wanted to your specific question, but sometimes an OP's question is in itself problematic and you can't expect people to just ignore that. 

For instance, most people are not going to just answer questions about breeding to someone who shouldn't be breeding. Telling the OP why they shouldn't breed their dogs is off topic but also what they need to hear. Btw, I'm not in any way comparing your situation to that of a BYB, (once you gave more information I was comfortable with your course of action), just providing an extreme example of why someone might choose to purposely go "off topic" for the sake of an animal's health and happiness.


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## storysunfolding (Aug 26, 2008)

No that's fine. I probably responded more harshly than I should have to covertune in the end. On the forums I moderate (totalmotorcycle.com, begginerbiker.org and linuxforums.com) this would have come under moderation much sooner. The only forums I'm used to with such light moderation are SA and 4chan and you expect debauchery there. 

I've received enough PM's telling me that they were initially concerned but understood my course of action given my explanations. However, even if I wore tinfoil on my head and planned to "housearrest" my dog for life, the lack of decorum demonstrated here would simply convince me to move on. This is far from my only source of information, but it is the highest trafficed dog forum on the net so it tends to lead to faster responses. Surprisingly, this wasn't an issue when cross posted across two other forums.

Thanks to those of you that contributed.


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

> We're obviously going to have to agree to disagree on this issue. However, I'll point out for the future that the "we're patently right" argument never holds water in my book. Especially on this forum where I continually see long time posters on opposite sides of issues.


Oh I wasn't saying that everything we say is automatically right. The advice that was given here however was good. I thought anyway......but that just brings me back to "Advice from others may or may not work for you and your puppy. You have to decide that. Just because something may not work for you though doesn't mean its not good advice. It may work wonders for someone else it just may not work for you." If you don't agree with what she says then fine. Nobody is twisting your arm, telling you to agree with it. If you don't like what she is saying then just ignore it.
This is the internet where if you post a question you are going to get all kinds of different answers. Take what you like and what you think will help and leave the rest. We are also not robots, we are not going to manage to stay on topic on every single thread (obviously). Thats the normal way of natural conversation. ( and dog forums......lol)
ETA: That kind of sounded sharp when I reread it but it was not intended that way.


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