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Loki at 6 mos.

2K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  Bowie's Mom 
#1 · (Edited)
Loki was 6 mos. last week. He is doing great. Learning lots of new things. I have an awesome trainer who comes to the house and gets him 3 days a week for a lesson. Two days a week he goes with David for the day - to his house to play with his dogs and about town. On the weekends, I get lessons. We are doing this for 3 weeks. Loki is so proud of his accomplishments. At the end he will have finished basic obedience and will get Canine Good Citizen tested.

Bath time is getting easier. He doesn't love it but he doesn't squeal anymore. He doesn't love the hair dryer but is getting better. I have the flying pig. I have been trying to make drying a game. At first he would run from it. Yesterday, I sat on the couch with him. He didn't want to sit on my lap but he stood beside and barked at and tried to bite the air while I gave him treats. He was free to leave but he didn't. If I turned off the dryer, he wanted me to turn it back on. He was almost dry by the time we finished "playing". Major progress.

He is also sleeping until 5:30 or 6. Sounds early but it was 4:30. He also isn't much of a chewer except for his toys. I have left a cardboard box on the floor for a month and he has only gnawed on the corner a little bit. He will take my shoes if I leave them where he can get them. But he really just wants to "hide" them in his bed.

Reliably housebroken. No accidents in two months except when Marc left the expen/crate door closed when he went out for an hour. Loki went on the floor right in front of the door. Human error!

The next round of dental work is coming up soon. None of his top teeth have come out but the adult teeth are coming in. He looks like a shark. Also, need to deal with the bottom canines. He still has an extreme overbite. After the teeth get fixed, I will worry about getting him neutered.

All told, he is a joy. He has really found his personality in the last month or so. Loki is a very chill little guy except when he gets the zoomies. It is nice combination. Almost forgot - he weighs 8.5 lbs.

P.S. Does anyone know how to get my ticker to update. I can get it to post but it doesn't automatically update!
 

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#7 ·
I was just letting him towel/air dry because he didn't like the dryer but he put up a ruckus at the groomers. I decided I need to work on it so he wouldn't be upset. I got the flying pig forced air dryer so it would be loud like at the groomer's. At first he ran away, but after much conditioning - slowly introducing it, blowing it away from it, treating, bouncing the air off the wall, treating, etc. he is getting used to it. Also, it is going to be cold here soon and it takes him a long time to dry. I don't want him to be cold.

His teeth are a mess! He has a severe overbite. His lower puppy incisors and canines were leaving marks on his palate so they were removed along with two permanent teeth in July. It was 12 teeth total. There was just a little hope that his lower jaw would grow but it hasn't. So, now the upper incisors and canines have come in but the baby teeth aren't coming out. If fact, they aren't even loose. They need to be removed but we can wait until we make decisions on the lower teeth since they aren't bothering anything because of the overbite. The lower canines and incisors are just coming in. We need to see where the canines are in relationship to his upper teeth. Maybe, against hope, the canines will be outside the upper teeth and won't bother anything but I doubt it. They will most likely be sticking into his palate so we will have to decide between orthodontics, shaving down the canines or removing them. I have another appt. with the dental specialist next week.

He is such a good little dog for surviving parvo and giardia at 11 weeks and having all the teeth pulled at 13 weeks (he had a cone for 2 weeks). But maybe that is why he is so chill!
 
#9 ·
Oh my goodness, what a trooper you have! I can't imagine what you all have been through. Bowie has a mild overbite. His breeder said it was fine when she checked and it will probably go back to normal as he grows. Although after reading your post I checked him and he still has an overbite. Was your pups always severe or did it just get worse? I hope the dentist visit goes well!
 
#13 ·
This is what a severe overbite looks like. Unless, the bottom teeth are impacting the soft palate you won't have a problem. Dogs upper and lower jaws grow at different rates, the bottom usually slower, which is why the breeder told you it will probably be normal as he grows. This one is severe enough that the dentist said the breeder shouldn't breed the dogs again though she hadn't had any problems before. I think Loki just got the short stick!
 

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#18 ·
Enjoying your post. My pup is 5 months! Just wondering....what treats does he like? My pup is very fussy and I think maybe it is because of teething and needing something easier to chew. We have about 8 bags of treats that he snubs his nose at. Hard to have real chicken or beef in your pocket to treat because a bit messy. What do you use?
 
#20 ·
I use a couple of different treats. Loki is a chow hound so it doesn't matter quite as much. I use Wild Meadow Farms minis - they are like jerky in tiny slivers. They come in various flavors. Loki really likes the duck. He also really likes Zukes mini naturals. They are soft. I give him chicken but I think they come in other flavors. For a class, I will also poach a chicken breast and cut it in tiny pieces. I put it in a snack size baggie in my pocket so it doesn't make such a mess....
 
#19 ·
Our trainer used Redbarn Naturals beef roll, and Marty loves it. (Everything else she snubs her nose.) We get the small roll, slice it, and put it in the freezer. When we are training we grab a slice. It holds together well, and we tear off tiny pieces as we go.
 
#23 ·
I did, it looks milder than Loki's but I am no expert. The real issue is whether the bottom canine teeth are impacting the soft palate. Both the baby incisors and canines were leaving marks on Loki's soft palate. Now his adult canines are doing the same as they come in. On the 7th, the dentist is going to remove the baby teeth that haven't come out yet and shave down the bottom canines. Hopefully, this will be it for Loki's dental work.
 
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