Don't call me, I'll call you!

2448 Views 17 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Chagall's mom, Jan 15, 2010

Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · Jan 9, 2010

I am the delighted and proud owner of a soon to be eight month old male silver miniature poodle named Chagall. He is a dream dog; clever, affectionate, clean, smart, energetic and quite the clown. He loves people, and food! He's a big boned boy, already nearly 15" and 19.9 lbs. The vet says he's in great shape. He has a retained baby tooth (an incisor) and the permanent tooth is partially in as well. My vet told me to wait another three weeks or so to see if baby tooth comes out on its own, he said it isn't affecting Chagall's bite, but if necessary he'll pull it. My boy's already been neutered so I'm unhappy he may need to be sedated again to pull the baby tooth. I've been giving him marrow bones to chew on hoping the baby tooth will come loose. Anybody have any suggestions or thoughts about what else to try, or how much to worry about this? Many thanks! As soon as I can figure out how to upload his photo, I will. He is of course an incredibly handsome creature!

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Harley_chik

· #2 · Jan 9, 2010

Welcome! I hope everything goes well w/ the tooth.

cbrand

· #3 · Jan 9, 2010

Is it loose at all? Any chance that you can push and pull at it a little each day until it comes out?

flyingduster

· #4 · Jan 9, 2010

BM miniatures on here has a 10 month old spoo who retained one of her baby canines, and it was rock solid in her jaw, there was no way it was loose, and the adult tooth was coming in a bit crooked because of that fact. She too, was already spayed, so she wasn't keen on another anaesthetic to remove the tooth so they left it for a bit to just keep an eye on it. The adult one came all the way in and the baby one was still there, they left it because it wasn't causing any problems really, and one day it was just gone! No idea where it went or when, it was just gone by itself!

In the same way I've also seen adult dogs with a rotten baby tooth still sitting in there too... So just keep an eye on it, definitely nice hard things to chew will help to keep working it, and hopefully it'll come out on it's own! Because you know it's there you can keep an eye on his mouth for any problems too, so unless it does cause problems I wouldn't worry too much about it at this stage.

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Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 10, 2010

Many thanks for informative reply!

hello there, Flying duster! I can't thank you enough for the informative reply to my concern about my mini poo's retained baby tooth! You pretty much echoed what my vet's told me and I now feel a whole lot better. Since I brush Chagall's teeth daily (he loves it!) I will continue to keep a close eye on that determined baby tooth. It's not one bit loose, and I do try to make it wobble, but so far it's sticking around without budging. I just found and joined this forum because I wanted someone with experience to tell me what they thought about the retained baby tooth and--eureka! there you were! If I can ever return the kindness, you can count on me. I think I'm going to learn a lot from the members of this cyber community and I'm much appreciative.

Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 10, 2010

hi cbrand, That baby tooth is stuck in place in Chagall's jaw like a steet girder! It has no wobble to it at all. I think I will just have to wait to let nature or the vet do their magic. After hearing of other people's experience with retained puppy teeth, I feel wholly confident that my vet has given me good counsel. Thanks for your concern!

Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 10, 2010

Kind of you to care and much appreciated!!

Olie

· #8 · Jan 10, 2010

Welcome! I had the same problem with my Aokisweet - she is a Pom and smaller dogs are more prone to this kind of thing than the bigger ones. I agree with some above posters but I would give some good bones to knaw at. Knuckle bones were recommended to me by some on here and with Olie (spoo) it came lose with in a week - - - we also helped by wiggling it. Aoki did have to have hers removed. Good luck.

thestars

· #9 · Jan 13, 2010

Welcome aboard to the forum!

Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 14, 2010

Recall works outside, not in the house!

Hello helpful Poodle folks! I need some encouragement here...my wonderful minipoo Chagall (8 months old next week) does well with recall when we're outside, but inside the house he is prone to running away from, rather than to me. After reading cbrand's post on teaching recall, I am leaving the lead on him indoors and rewarding him when he "comes" as requested. Just curious as to why he'll obey outside but not inside? Do you think it's because he feels quite safe and free in the house and perhaps a little less so outdoors? He's a WONDERFUL little guy and I just couldn't be prouder of him. I know I need to pump up my indoor recall training but I thought someone might some thoughts on this. Thanks!

cbrand

· #11 · Jan 14, 2010

At this age they are starting to exert their independence a bit more. Inside, he feels safe. Chances are that when you call him in the house it is often because he has to do something; something that he doesn't necessarily like to do: go to crate, get nails trimmed, etc. Outside, he is probably still a little uncertain so he sticks closer to you. Realize that the time will come where he feels confident enough outside to not heed your call. You are right to teach a solid recall now.

The trick is to always be able to enforce the recall command. Every time you call him and he doesn't come and you can't make him, it confirms in his minds that he really does not have to listen to you. I have a friend who has the top obedience Beagles in the country. Her puppies are literally NEVER off leash for the first 11 months of their lives. Even in the yard, they will drag a long, thin 20 yard line. By having a strict program in the beginning, she ensures that she has a lifetime of prompt and accurate recalls.

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wishpoo

· #12 · Jan 14, 2010

Cbrand - can you please describe her method little bit more in detail

! Or maybe you know for a book that explains that method with the leash. Is that one of the programs where puppy is attached to an owner by a leash even in the house for the first couple of months ??? I think I read somewhere that most Border Collies are trained that way the best and we all know how obedient and super smart those dogs are

Thanks a lot in advance !

Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 14, 2010

Great advice on the recall training, thanks!

Wow, that was so helpful cbrand, what a phenomenal resource you are!! Right you are, when I ask Chagall to "come" to me indoors, it usually IS to have him do something he might rather not--like grooming or putting on his seatbelt vest! I do leave a 30' long thin line on him outdoors when we practice "recall" and I will now ALWAYS leave a leash on him indoors too, to be certain I can enforce the command. So my little boy IS really growing up (so fast!) and showing me has a mind of his own! Well, he's going to get lots of consistent reinforcement to show him minding ME is what matters most! Thanks for being there!!

Olie

· #14 · Jan 14, 2010

cbrand said:
At this age they are starting to exert their independence a bit more. Inside, he feels safe. Chances are that when you call him in the house it is often because he has to do something; something that he doesn't necessarily like to do: go to crate, get nails trimmed, etc. Outside, he is probably still a little uncertain so he sticks closer to you. Realize that the time will come where he feels confident enough outside to not heed your call. You are right to teach a solid recall now.

The trick is to always be able to enforce the recall command. Every time you call him and he doesn't come and you can't make him, it confirms in his minds that he really does not have to listen to you. I have a friend who has the top obedience Beagles in the country. Her puppies are literally NEVER off leash for the first 11 months of their lives. Even in the yard, they will drag a long, thin 20 yard line. By having a strict program in the beginning, she ensures that she has a lifetime of prompt and accurate recalls.

See this makes so much sense - just when you think you do things pretty OK....it's comman sense things we might ignor.

cbrand

· #15 · Jan 15, 2010

wishpoo said:
Cbrand - can you please describe her method little bit more in detail ! Or maybe you know for a book that explains that method with the leash. Is that one of the programs where puppy is attached to an owner by a leash even in the house for the first couple of months ??? I think I read somewhere that most Border Collies are trained that way the best and we all know how obedient and super smart those dogs are

No it is more that they drag the leash around the house/yard with them. When you go to call, you have to make sure that you have access to the end of the rope/line. It looks something like this:

Pick up line. Give recall command. Move backwards away from puppy to encourage a faster recall. If puppy comes PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE. Give treat when puppy comes all the way in (I think with young puppies it is a good rule of thumb to never give a command you can't enforce or treat).

If the puppy does not come THE FIRST TIME IT IS CALLED, quickly take up the slack in the line. Collar pop and start to reel in while moving backwards. PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE as the puppy comes towards you. Treat when it comes all the way in. Remember though, don't give a second command.

wishpoo

· #16 · Jan 15, 2010

Thanks so much Cbrand for taking time to explain this method :thumb: !!!

I think you should open a school for novice dog owners and ones that need some refreshing of their dog training skills : ))) !!!! :first: Or , at least, write a book

- it would be a best-seller in no time since your methods are combination of everything that is "out there" but truly WORKS !!!!!

Thanks again : )))

Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jan 15, 2010

If you ever open "cbrand Poodle Training Camp," my mini will be on your doorstep!

Chagall's mom

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jan 15, 2010

Yup! It's so often the obvious we overlook! Thank heavens other people can see things more clearly at times than we ourselves can. I already see the difference with Chagall on the lead indoors being "persuaded" to come when called!! It continues to blow my mind how quickly he learns when I'm a worth "teacher"!

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