# Wife is going to kill Jackson...



## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

My wife is getting to the point of losing it with Jackson our 8 month old... Hes just becoming too much for her. We both work 8-10 hours a day including drive time, and shes saying she doesn't have the time for him anymore. He gets 3 walks and 15min of hard exercise a day between the both of us and at night we play "Find it" which tracking basically to stimulate his mind. I kinda knew what we were getting into with getting him, but I dont think she did when she gave the go ahead to getting a GS and now I am feeling the repercussions of it. Guess Im just looking for some positive re-enforcement... 

Another thing... when should we remove his crate from our bedroom? Hes been in there since he was 8 weeks... wife wants him OUT of there and in the office where he cant destroy anything. Somehow hes moving the crate to anywhere... example... the curtains are 3 feet from his crate and he moved the crate to them and ate them up(wife was more mad then I can remember). The office has nothing in there he can destroy. I'm afraid if we just move him he will flip out and try to break out of the crate and then who knows.... 

Thank god hes a small GS... only 55lbs at 8months.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

8 months is one of the hardest times. Get back in training with him. Be around other people to swap stories and ideas.. Sounds like he is a bit bored. Not a huge fan but can he go to doggy day care? Can he get a walk with both or either of you right when you get home. Sounds like he craves attention. Get a new crate one that can't move around or fix it so it doesn't move. (I don't get that one). Is he crated for 9 hours?


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

Do you have a back yard? I would build a kennel if you have the room. All you really need is some fences, my brother built a kennel that is attacked to his garage, he just cut out a hole in the side of the garage and it leads to the kennel, so the dog can go in and out when he wants. It really is a life saver. Dont get rid of the dog, he's very cute, 8 months is a tough age, I equate it to puberty for teens. Just try to stick with it for a bit more. We have a nice crate by a company called Midwest, you can find it on chewy, its big and the dog cant move it. 
good luck!


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Its easy to fall into thinking you have to entertain the dog. Get the crate out of there and when he cries, you ignore it. Set a schedule that matches what you want as far as walks and training, and teach him to settle down at home. Because you didn't start that earlier, its probably going to be more work, but you can still do it.

I missed part of this, is he crated 9hrs a day?


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

DutchKarin said:


> 8 months is one of the hardest times. Get back in training with him. Be around other people to swap stories and ideas.. Sounds like he is a bit bored. Not a huge fan but can he go to doggy day care? Can he get a walk with both or either of you right when you get home. Sounds like he craves attention. Get a new crate one that can't move around or fix it so it doesn't move. (I don't get that one). Is he crated for 9 hours?


I agree with Karin: Eight months is a tough age. They're energetic and immature and not necessarily ready for dog sports yet.

I had my dog in obedience training every single week during that stage, and that helped immensely: It was mental exercise and something we did together, and it gave my husband a few hours' break (with drive time plus class, he could count on having some dog-free time for 2.5-3 hours).

I also don't think 15 minutes of hard exercise is really enough. It might do for my dog now, at age 2, but not at 8 months. It wouldn't have to be all at once (and arguably shouldn't be on a growing skeleton), but we'd try to build in more like 30-60 minutes broken into 15-20 minute chunks.

Puzzle games, scent games, those were fun for her. I started her on a teaball and a stinky treat in the house, before we were ready for Nosework classes. We hadn't started taking her to either daycare or the dog park at that age, but those are really good outlets for her now. 

For the crate in the office: Maybe make use of talk radio, so he has something to listen to? Could you go back to basics of crate training in there, make it really exciting to be in the crate in the office because he will get some surprise treat or toy? Start small and build up to longer and longer times?


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

Hes in the crate from 8am to 11am, neighbor comes over and takes him for a long walk and feeds him. Then 1pm hes in the crate til 5pm. Then its walk and exercise time, chasing the hose water, boat/swimming, etc for a few hours. Then I put in the crate for another hour so I can work out myself and we eat dinner. Hes then out of the crate in the house til 10pm.... bedtime. 

We really try to do new things with him, the boat is something he loves because of the water(he LOVES the water). I basically just throw him in the lake and make him swim back to us. We have no yard... living on the lake that is one of the draw backs and no beach either, we have a seawall. 

We did doggy day care for a while and that really seemed to work, was expensive but it was great. Problem is that that the daycare will not have dogs that are not neutered above 7 months. Its in our contract with the breeder we wait til he is 1 year old. 

Jackson is actually really great in the crate... he goes right in and is non destructive. Its just recently hes gotten bored or uneasy from it. But Ill for sure try the talk radio for him, see how that does along with moving it to the office. Ill look up some more games for him also.

*** Just got a call from my wife apologizing how she was on the phone about the curtains and Jackson *** She was just frustrated she said. Cant blame her I guess.


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## Strikker (Dec 2, 2015)

8 months is fun! But it does get better as they get older. Keep him as busy as you can and always in your sights when you are home. I turned my back on Beya for less than 15 min at that age and...:surprise:


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

CFH said:


> We really try to do new things with him, the boat is something he loves because of the water(he LOVES the water). I basically just throw him in the lake and make him swim back to us. We have no yard... living on the lake that is one of the draw backs and no beach either, we have a seawall.
> 
> We did doggy day care for a while and that really seemed to work, was expensive but it was great. Problem is that that the daycare will not have dogs that are not neutered above 7 months. Its in our contract with the breeder we wait til he is 1 year old.
> 
> ...


Its tough, just try to tell her that he's still a puppy. I have had MANY occasions where I wanted to give up. I remember I was an inch away from giving my dog away during his early crazy age and thank god I didn't, they get a lot better as they mature. If you have a separate room for the dog, it can be like an exercise pen for him, which is a life saver. And this toy here can keep them busy for hours.
http://www.petsupplies.com/item/sta...intid=475553&gclid=CJz4g8-RqM4CFY5ZhgodmaADmw


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

Obedience is key. Short sessions. It's like many people on here say: You work and work and work on obedience, and one day, you wake up and your dog is suddenly an adult and knows exactly what he's supposed to do AND DOES IT.


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

Great responses!! This is giving me hope! lol Thanks for the suggestions. I do the training little by little each day, short sessions like mentioned above. The hardest of all is the recalling... I say come or come here Jackson and nothing... not even a look. When he has his mind on something(like the hose) there is no listening. In one big ear out the other big ear.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Because my dog is the same age and I utilize a crate I'll tell you what I'm doing. Everyday I get home from work. Get him out and it's straight to the yard. Then we go in and he drinks and says hello. Then we do two ball retrieve. Then when he starts to slow down its back inside. Because he's learning inside time is calm time we do training. Then he will nap. He still is not allowed free run of the house. I utilize a gate. That usually is from 330-5. I've got my daughter from 330 till 6. They are allowed no contact until they are calm. After I drop her off I take my dog Creek walking. I use a check cord, but he is free to run and play. That usually last from 630-8. Then home. Then more training. He's completely stimulated. 
I got my dog for my enjoyment. Nothing he does is his fault. If he tears something up, or destroys something it is my fault. He's just being a dog. I've got no place being angry at him. Nor does my gf. 
I think that people forget why they have their pets. I think people are too frustrated. Get a Kong for the crate. Get that dog running and being a dog. 


On a second thought, could always get another gsd so your dog has a running mate to expel that energy.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Sell the wife? You do have to find the right market for that though.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Never practice recall when you can't enforce it. They should never know it's an option NOT to come. Practice with a long line so you can reel them in if needed. Practice one holding the pup while the other calls from a distance. Let them build up excitement to come. When released, they should fly to you (reward it effusively), then that person will hold while the other calls.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

this is a bad idea "On a second thought, could always get another gsd so your dog has a running mate to expel that energy."


No more easy walks . Each walk will be exercise and training combined . The dog won't have time to day dream . He'll be mentally exhausted when you are finished . Bonus is that it won't take long -- 15 to 20 minutes will have as much impact as a 2 hours long walk.

I love this performance. 



 see if you can't get some ideas from it.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

carmspack said:


> this is a bad idea "On a second thought, could always get another gsd so your dog has a running mate to expel that energy."
> 
> 
> No more easy walks . Each walk will be exercise and training combined . The dog won't have time to day dream . He'll be mentally exhausted when you are finished . Bonus is that it won't take long -- 15 to 20 minutes will have as much impact as a 2 hours long walk.
> ...


Holy cow, that is quite the routine! looks harder than our IPO trials because it is so much longer. 

I love this one, too. but you know these dogs are not puppies either. They've been working on these routines for a long time


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Longer than rally. But Rally would give you the beginning. The first 6 minutes of that performance was basically Rally exercises, just in triplicate without any signs. And how I practice for Rally, when I do is my general walk, changing directions, changing pace, doing the various finishes and stationary exercises. It's worth looking into, as it is growing in popularity and you can be as precise as you like. If you want to do it for fun and exercise, you can be a little more relaxed, if you want to compete in earnest, then you clean up your body language and make the dog work for praise and treats.


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## GSDreSearching (Jul 21, 2015)

My girl is about 7 1/2 months now. I was feeling much the same as your wife was feeling about two weeks ago (not to the point of seriously getting rid of her but I was feeling frustrated). Someone earlier mentioned not to fall into the idea of feeling you like you have to entertain the dog all the time. I was definitely doing this and it was wearing me out. Here is our routine (my husband and I both work full time).

4:45am - Wake up. Take the dogs for a walk. During this walk I work on obedience and also do things like have her sit and walk away from her, then call her to me. This gives her a chance to run a bit. 

5:45am - breakfast. She is loose in the house while we get ready for work. She is usually playing with toys or chewing her nylabone during this time. 

7:30-8am - She goes in her crate

4:30-5pm - out of crate. I immediately take her to the back yard and play ball and/or flirt pole with her. Maybe 15 minutes or so, enough to get her out of breath and take that immediate "edge" off. Later I also work on obedience, play "find it", etc. 

6pm - Dinner - after she eats I put her in her "place". This gives me a break to relax for little while. 

6:30pm - walk in the neighborhood - or I will wait longer (at least an hour after eating) and then play ball with her again and/or flirt pole

7:30pm - relax time. if she is still not settling down I will put her in her place again. I also give her something to chew on.

8:30-9pm - bed time. I stopped crating her at night when she was about 5 months old. Since she is crated all day I wanted to transition out of the crate at night as soon as possible. She has done great with it. She has full access to about half of the house.

So far this seems to be working well for us. Right now (8:45pm) she is passed out on the couch, dead to the world.

ETA- when I was feeling burnt out it was because I wasn't using the place command. It is something she is pretty rock solid with but I felt bad/guilty making her stay in her place after she had been crated all day. Now that I'm using the place command when I need it, I feel like our evenings are going much more smoothly. She does settle down quickly when she goes to her place.


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## astrovan2487 (May 29, 2014)

My pup is in the same age range as your's (almost 9 months) and I keep waiting for her to get to this bad stage. Maybe I'm just lucky or it hasn't come yet. She has free range of the house and back yard most of the day and has destroyed very little. I would suggest finding a park or someplace nearby to play fetch and start doing tracking too. Avoid lots of jumping if you do play fetch, it's bad for puppies. My pup lives for fetch so I will do obedience while playing fetch. I make her sit, heel, down, look, stay, touch, or grab the ball on command in between throws so she is thinking and burning energy. We also do obedience and play tug with several different toys daily, just short 10 minute sessions. You could try to have the pup with you as much as possible when you are home, find a way to let him around while you eat dinner, maybe modify at least part of your workout to involve him.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

carmspack said:


> this is a bad idea "On a second thought, could always get another gsd so your dog has a running mate to expel that energy."
> 
> .


Oops, forgot to add I was joking.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

CFH said:


> I kinda knew what we were getting into with getting him, but I dont think she did when she gave the go ahead to getting a GS and now I am feeling the repercussions of it. Guess Im just looking for some positive re-enforcement...


"we" means I as in you.......just grab the reins and train the dog the way you want it to be in a year from now.....10 years from now. Along the way....when you have the obedience developed.....show her the command procedures....as well as ensuring that the dog heeds the commands of the one you have entrusted the dog to.......that's really sugarcoating it.

SuperG


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

"Holy cow, that is quite the routine! looks harder than our IPO trials because it is so much longer."

I know ! Not just longer but you can't train for that pattern, because there is no pattern.
The test has a required number of turns , stops, changes of speed but the judge decides on the order that they are called out . The contestant has to listen and take directions not knowing what to expect .
All contestants will have the same exercise to equalize things .

I like the video because neither the dog nor the handler know what the judge is going to call out so both have to be fully engaged and working as a beautiful team. No sleep walking .


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

It's odd that I ran across this video yesterday for myself. We were practicing it yesterday. I have seen in it the past- good stuff -now I get more of a sense what rally is sort of like. When Max was around 8 months he really was getting restless in the crate to. One time he broke out and chewed the arm chair our chair . It was shortly after this when we decided to try to give him shorty intervals of freedom in the house. It worked out fine as he proved we can trust him in the house. Is it possible you can set up a seperate room or bigger kennel area with things to keep him busy as he does not feel so confined along with the training and exercise.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

car2ner said:


> Holy cow, that is quite the routine! looks harder than our IPO trials because it is so much longer.


Its not. Its different, and that's a nice routine. But if its so hard to follow "Left Turn" "Right Turn" in those confines, it'll be just as hard to remember how many paces in an IPO pattern and to leave all the handler help behind.


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

Just wanted to follow up... 

My wife and I had a talk last night about the situation with our little monster. After about 30min of talking, it just came down to that shes never had a real dog before. Its hard to count our little Bella(Maltipoo) as she was nothing compared to Jackson when she was a little pup. I myself grew up with German shepherds but I never raised them as puppies. I forgot what it was like having a big animal in the house.. I mean, after he drinks out of his bowl there is a lake in the house, when he runs around chasing his tennis ball the house shakes lol. But hes really doing great... he hasnt destroyed anything with a high dollar price tag(yet) and does listen very well. I think my wife just has her venting-screaming-wanting to kill Jackson moments but when she comes home and he runs up to her crying and licking her because hes happy to see his mom and its all worth it. I just wish we had some more property so he could really run, thank god for the boat and the lake otherwise I feel like we would be screwed. But like people have said... it will get better and Im sure it will, hes been a wonderful dog and is cute as ****. We just love how hes gets now into his protective mode when people walk by the house, makes us feel safe that we have Jackson.

So.. question on moving him into the office. I have a strong feeling hes going to freak out if we move the crate in there. Whats the best route to take with this? 

Thanks all!


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

> So.. question on moving him into the office. I have a strong feeling hes going to freak out if we move the crate in there. Whats the best route to take with this?


I'd just do it and get it over with. And I'd quit giving him toys or balls to play with in the house. Teach him to settle down inside. No expectation of playing till you go where you want him to play. I don't have water inside either, but we're able to let ours outside enough that the 5 gallon buckets outside and in their outdoor kennels are plenty.


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

Steve Strom said:


> I'd just do it and get it over with. And I'd quit giving him toys or balls to play with in the house. Teach him to settle down inside. No expectation of playing till you go where you want him to play. I don't have water inside either, but we're able to let ours outside enough that the 5 gallon buckets outside and in their outdoor kennels are plenty.


Just scared he will break out of his crate when we are gone... should we do it maybe over a weekend first at night?

And got it... no more ball playing or ruff housing inside.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

You could, has he broken out of it before?


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

Steve Strom said:


> You could, has he broken out of it before?


When he was 12 weeks he broke out 3 times. Hasn't done it since.


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

CFH said:


> Just scared he will break out of his crate when we are gone... should we do it maybe over a weekend first at night?
> 
> And got it... no more ball playing or ruff housing inside.


Ball playing in the house is a big no-no in my book.
What kind of crate do you have that you're scared he will break out of?

I use these and never had a problem with breaking out.
https://www.chewy.com/midwest-icrate-single-door-fold/dp/45368

They also have an XXL one
https://www.chewy.com/midwest-solutions-series-xx-large/dp/102275
@Steve Strom is right, just get it over with. He will bark or cry the first day, maybe even the first week or 2, but he will get over it, he will then be happy that he has his own room and it will make you and your wife's lives much easier. Just keep throwing in a bunch of treats in the crate throughout the day and he will learn to love it.


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

Julian G said:


> Ball playing in the house is a big no-no in my book.
> What kind of crate do you have that you're scared he will break out of?
> 
> I use these and never had a problem with breaking out.
> ...



Yeah thats the one we have. I have already zip tied the whole thing except for the door. We'll give it a go this weekend. Thanks!! Again, the ball play will be no more.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

> We just love how hes gets now into his protective mode when people walk by the house, makes us feel safe that we have Jackson.


Don't get too carried away with this. A little bark, ok. Now settle down. Its something that can become more of a problem then you're thinking about.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

quote " We just love how hes gets now into his protective mode when people walk by the house, makes us feel safe that we have Jackson."

I'm with Strom on this one . 
That is just nuisance barking. People walking by the house are not threats . That should be part of the dog's
daily environment , "wallpaper" .


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## GSDreSearching (Jul 21, 2015)

CFH said:


> Just wanted to follow up...
> 
> My wife and I had a talk last night about the situation with our little monster. After about 30min of talking, it just came down to that shes never had a real dog before. Its hard to count our little Bella(Maltipoo) as she was nothing compared to Jackson when she was a little pup. I myself grew up with German shepherds but I never raised them as puppies. I forgot what it was like having a big animal in the house.. I mean, after he drinks out of his bowl there is a lake in the house, when he runs around chasing his tennis ball the house shakes lol. But hes really doing great... he hasnt destroyed anything with a high dollar price tag(yet) and does listen very well. I think my wife just has her venting-screaming-wanting to kill Jackson moments but when she comes home and he runs up to her crying and licking her because hes happy to see his mom and its all worth it. I just wish we had some more property so he could really run, thank god for the boat and the lake otherwise I feel like we would be screwed. But like people have said... it will get better and Im sure it will, hes been a wonderful dog and is cute as ****. We just love how hes gets now into his protective mode when people walk by the house, makes us feel safe that we have Jackson.
> 
> ...


I recently moved Mace from the indoor/outdoor kennel set up that we used for her when she was younger and couldn't hold it all day to an indoor only kennel. (the indoor/outdoor was always meant to be a temporary set up). She wasn't happy with the move and still whines when I put her in the kennel but it has been ok in general. I just did it one day before leaving for work. I have a Nest Cam set up so I can monitor her. She def whines when we first leave but she settles down pretty quickly. She didn't whine at all with the indoor/outdoor set up. My goal is to eventually leave her un-crated but we aren't' there yet.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

cloudpump said:


> Because my dog is the same age and I utilize a crate I'll tell you what I'm doing. Everyday I get home from work. Get him out and it's straight to the yard. Then we go in and he drinks and says hello. Then we do two ball retrieve. Then when he starts to slow down its back inside. Because he's learning inside time is calm time we do training. Then he will nap. He still is not allowed free run of the house. I utilize a gate. That usually is from 330-5. I've got my daughter from 330 till 6. They are allowed no contact until they are calm. After I drop her off I take my dog Creek walking. I use a check cord, but he is free to run and play. That usually last from 630-8. Then home. Then more training. He's completely stimulated.
> I got my dog for my enjoyment. Nothing he does is his fault. If he tears something up, or destroys something it is my fault. He's just being a dog. I've got no place being angry at him. Nor does my gf.
> I think that people forget why they have their pets. I think people are too frustrated. Get a Kong for the crate. Get that dog running and being a dog.


Great post here. And if you keep doing stuff like that ... your gonna miss a lot of the "excitement" of "issue" solving. 



cloudpump said:


> On a second thought, could always get another gsd so your dog has a running mate to expel that energy.


Aww gezz most likely a "spur" of the moment thought?? Yeah ... it happens, every now and then. I got caught up and came up with a "spur of the moment"
inspiration?? ... happened to me last week, I had to write a very long post to "rectify" that one ... "with insight from others" ... my bad.  

But ... sigh of course ... I do happen to know of a case where ..."the nother" dog "thing" did in fact work! Multi small dog household, Great Dane added (no fights, he did not care about the other 3 dogs at all) Dane had, "Severe Separation Anxiety." Unskilled owner, poorly trained dogs, two years of Car Eating, Crate destroying, owner tied to the home behaviour (she couldn't leave the dog home alone or apparently in the Car (free to roam.) 

So in a completely unrelated decision, she got a new puppy a Chi/Terrier mix. The Great Dane met the dog and fell in luv! "Everything changed," the Great Dane completely transformed! Goliath ... he turned into a great dog! 

So I "can't say" the second dog thing "never" works??? But in "general" ... not really a good idea. If one has "issues" training one dog ... then add a second?? Dogs do take cues from each other ...kinda like sooo, "This is how we act???"

Best advice is to always have one well trained dog "preferably" free of "issues" before adding a second dog.


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