No pre-molars yet and dog park questions
Teeth: We went to the vet today and apparently his pre-molars haven't come in yet? or erupted? The doc couldnt tell if they were there or not so said to just wait a bit and see. Has anyone else had this? Is it serious? Is it expensive to do x-rays later if they dont come out? I didn't get a whole lot of info at the vet so wanted to know your guys thoughts. Again he's only 15.5 weeks. Dog Park: So we took Kenny to the dog park today. He was very skittish to say the least. First time at the park and hasn't been OVERLY socialized with dogs just because we dont know any around here. He isn't usually too nervous around other dogs but he woudlnt leave our sides for more than a second and one dog was a bit aggressive with him which i wasn't pleased about. Mostly other dogs came up...sniffed him...walked around him and walked away and he wasn't too bad about that...just kinda sat there. Any advice? Hope to catch up on here sometime this week...been super busy! |
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| I can't comment on the molars, because I just don't know about those and when they came in... Dahlia is just about 10 months now and I didn't pay much attention to the timeline on those... I was more interested in when she lost those darn vampire teeth! However, regarding the dog park.... You need to definitely keep socializing him. The dog park can be very overwhelming but, I would continue bringing him back and I bet you he will become more and more comfortable each time. I would also maybe go with him at "off hours" when maybe there are less dogs there and walk with him all over the place. Are you taking classes with him like a puppy kindergarten or basic obedience class? At our school, we had a puppy playgroup every Monday night for about 45 minutes for pups 2 months to 6 months old. This really socialized Dahlia since we went to it for the full 4 months with quite a few puppies. If you don't have a puppy playgroup in your area then that is OK. If you are taking a kindergarten class.... make playdates with other dogs in your class. You can go to someone's house that has a fenced in yard, or go for a hike, or even meet at the dog park at the same time. Feel free to ask your instructor or just start talking to people in the class and pick a time to meet. I found this very effective. We had and still have loads of playdates with other dogs that we met in class or even on this forum.... (We have a playdate with Chowder tomorrow who we met through this forum  )Good luck and I think with time his confidence will build. He is still young but, it is very very important that you keep introducing him to new places, new things, new dogs, new people etc! |
| Awesome. Yeah we want to do the obedience class soon but need to find a good one in the area. Also may start daycare for him soonish...need to check out the location first. Thanks for the advice and we'll definitely keep introducing him to dogs. Funniest part is his favorite dog was a 115 lb great dane. HAHAHA |
| Figure 4-5 months for teeth....since he's not even a true 4 months......wait, be patient. I know some dogs fail to get all their teeth......those show judges aren't just looking at the alignment, they are also looking that all teeth are present. I doubt he'll be a toothless adult, something will come. I'm thinking one of my dogs was missing a premolar....obviously it wasn't a big deal, I've forgotten who. yes we want them perfect, but a little imperfection is good too. In the dog park, were you nervous? He may have been feeding off you. Sniffing is good, it's a "what's your name" greeting.......ignore it and hopefully he will too. The fact he didn't go racing out to play is a sign he isn't dominat-Don. He's a bit laid back. In time...if you allow him...he will find a friend and play. As said above, try different times, or just walking around and watching from outside the fence.....take it slow and watch him for interest. Don't skimp on human social situations. More people, more place he goes and behaves the more confidence he will develop. |
Thanks for the great advice! He definitely isn't short of human interaction. Plenty of friends come over and he's met far too many people at parks and on walks. He's quite a popular dog in our area...probably like Schubert  I may have been nervous a bit for him so i'll try not to do that...i have really noticed he feeds of my energy a lot so makes sense. He definitely isn't dominant which i'm happy about...we wanted a chill dog hahThe teeth thing isn't concerning me too much but I just like to get your guys opinions. Will definitely keep an eye on it over the next month or so. |
| Keep going to the dog park as often as you can. Even if it's just for 30 minutes in the evening. Every minute helps. Cailyn's first group outing was actually at the Sheep In: talk about feeling overwhelmed... She was running on her own as soon as we took the lead off and started playing with her like we do in our own yard. She soon forgot about the other dogs and they soon became just like having a lot if Zoeys around. How close do you live to Joanna & Nick? Certainly you guys can get together. How far are you from say Middletown? Maybe we could meet you and Joanna halfway. Let me know; I'm sure we can figure something out to help. Vance |
| In my experience depending on the bloodline teeth can be slow to come in. With my breeding program I'm working with 5 dominant lines and 3 of those have slow erupting teeth so I've seen it a fair bit, they always come around and are healthy teeth so I wouldn't worry. The 3 lines I'm speaking of are quite prominent in oes pedigrees so I'm sure it comes up far more often than most of us notice. What I hate is when vets scare people and say surgery is needed to help the teeth break through, ridiculous! |
Eggbert wrote: Dog Park: So we took Kenny to the dog park today. He was very skittish to say the least. First time at the park and hasn't been OVERLY socialized with dogs just because we dont know any around here. He isn't usually too nervous around other dogs but he woudlnt leave our sides for more than a second and one dog was a bit aggressive with him which i wasn't pleased about. Mostly other dogs came up...sniffed him...walked around him and walked away and he wasn't too bad about that...just kinda sat there. Any advice? Yes - stay away from dog parks for now. He's much too young. It's a recipe for not good things happening as you have no control over the other dogs there and a bad experience at that age could have lasting effects. Much better to take him to classes and hopefully meet other people with well-socialized, dog savvy dogs. At his age, you really want to build his bank of good experiences with other dogs if at all possible, not expect him to tough it out in an overwhelming setting. Plus, even though I'm sure he's vaccinated, you're talking still developing immune system, and dog parks are a catch all for everything floating around. I'm not against dog parks in principle. Just for baby dogs. Kristine |
 Quote: What I hate is when vets scare people and say surgery is needed to help the teeth break through, ridiculous! Thank you! It was in the back of my mind there were slower developing dogs, didn't know it runs in families. As for a vet who starts talking xray and surgery, I'd put it in my "book" this might be a make work vet for his pocket book and to question everything he/she says. |
| Teddy's teeth were slower to come in then his brother. I wouldn't be to concerned at 4 months. They'll be in before you know it! As far as the dog park thing, I'm with Kristine. Not the greatest place for puppy's. One bad experience could be a big set back later especially if he's more on the shy side. I'd stick with puppy classes and puppy play dates. You have more control over the dogs he'll be exposed to. Cindy |
| Yeah. Our vet is a good friend of our family so I dont think he's looking for any extra money. He actually told us not to be concerned and we'll check again at 6 or 7 months and then re-evaluate. I was just curious if you guys had experience. Good idea for the puppy classes and all rather than Dog Park. We need to sign him up for some anyway. |
Mad Dog wrote: Eggbert wrote: Dog Park: So we took Kenny to the dog park today. He was very skittish to say the least. First time at the park and hasn't been OVERLY socialized with dogs just because we dont know any around here. He isn't usually too nervous around other dogs but he woudlnt leave our sides for more than a second and one dog was a bit aggressive with him which i wasn't pleased about. Mostly other dogs came up...sniffed him...walked around him and walked away and he wasn't too bad about that...just kinda sat there. Any advice? Yes - stay away from dog parks for now. He's much too young. It's a recipe for not good things happening as you have no control over the other dogs there and a bad experience at that age could have lasting effects. Much better to take him to classes and hopefully meet other people with well-socialized, dog savvy dogs. At his age, you really want to build his bank of good experiences with other dogs if at all possible, not expect him to tough it out in an overwhelming setting. Plus, even though I'm sure he's vaccinated, you're talking still developing immune system, and dog parks are a catch all for everything floating around. I'm not against dog parks in principle. Just for baby dogs. Kristine I agree 100%. I'd also like to chime in that not every dog, even as an adult, is a good match for dog parks. Many parks seem to be more about human socialization than dogs so you get a lot of ill behaved dogs with no supervision. Socialize, by all means, but keep in mind, there's nothing wrong with NOT going to the dog park, either. |
| Not a fan of dog parks here either. None of my vets or trainers take their dogs to parks, for the reasons already listed. Basically, unless it's a group of folks you already know, dog parks are a crap shoot. We did extensive obedience instead, where there is a trainer present, and people take responsibility for their pets' behavior. Laurie and Oscar |
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