New to the forum!!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Julie, that is sad about your neighbour. As RJM said, bless you for trying to be helpful.

Sumo looks so cute sleeping in your son's bed! What a darling.

That is so exciting about your Mum perhaps having a new puppy! That will be fun and interesting.

[SumosMum]

Today I got a sad update..

Last night the lady knock on my door to apologize and told me her little didn't survive.. But then saw Sumo and she asked me all kinds of questions but I simply told her that Chow Chows are not meant for everyone and that it was none of her business where I got him and how much I paid for him and I added that she doesn't deserve to have a dog after being so irresponsible! But she just said that she was already getting another Pitbull..

[RubyJeansMom]

Julie, I'm glad you spoke your mind to her, unfortunately it sounds like it fell on deaf ears.

But she just said that she was already getting another Pitbull..

* sigh *

[SumosMum]

It's official she got a new puppy.. This time she got Pomeranian, good thing she's not on my floor cause knowing her attitude she will never socialize that dog nor bring it to classes, going to be great hearing the barking. She also purchased the puppy from a pet store

On a better note, my mom is definitely going to get cute cream Chow Chow! My breeder just got a new litter yesterday and got 3 girls 5 boys! She will get her little girl the 2nd week of January, I will keep everyone updated

[SumosMum]

So I called a trainer about the issue we are facing with Sumo not liking toys and she suggested a plushy with a bell or something to make him want to play so my OH and I went to the mall again on my own and found a cute toy..

Finally this time it worked! I got a little plushy Ringtail with a bell around his neck and Sumo just wants to chase him!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Julie, I bet your Mum is excited about her new puppy! I can't wait to see some pictures.

I'm also glad to hear you found a toy that Sumo likes. Oliver loved (and I mean loved) his "Ducky". It was quite plush, and had a squeaker in it. I noticed that his Breeder had the exact same toy for the pups, when I went to visit a week prior to bringing him home. For that reason, I thought buying a toy with which he was familiar would help his transition.

Oliver then became the destroyer of all toys, except the rope ones. Some people have trouble with them as the dogs can ingest too much of the strings at the end, but they were the only thing Oliver could not destroy, and that kept him occupied. Ice cubes are great for teething, as are regular face cloths, dampened, twisted and then frozen. They are reusable and help soothe the gums.

As far as your neighbour is concerned, there is one in every crowd. She probably has children as well, which is unfortunate. Unless you witness ill treatment of the dog, there is really nothing you can do, so try and put it out of your mind, or you'll go crazy. You can't fix stupid.

Has your Mum selected a name for her new puppy yet?

[SumosMum]

Sadly it's still gets to me that this woman doesn't have any tears for her puppy that died because of her neglect and the next day goes to a pet store and buy the first dog that she sees without any kind of research and if the puppy barks like mad which Pomeranian without any training nor socialization will do simply cause that's the breeds and she will have to bring the dog to a shelter cause our landlord will have complaints and the woman will just come back with another dog..

My mom have a few name in mind but she wants to see her baby in a few weeks before choosing. We can't wait to see her! At the same time we will bring Sumo with us.

[kian]

Hi Julie, I'm finally catching up from being MIA for a week or more. Your thread is a delight to read, Sumo is beautiful and Keyven a delight to see. Love his name, I can relate to the one child. I too was very lucky to have one, I also have 4 steps which are great.

Welcome to DP!!!! I'm Kian, the owner of two Aussies, Allie and Ice and a few other critters that live on our farm.

Sorry to read about your neighbour. She is being irresponsible by adding another so quickly. Parvovirus can live up to 7 years, hope she Clorox her apartment good. Your vet is wise to know of the dangers in your building. Parvo seems to run rampant this time of year. I really hate to add gloom to your neighbours newest addition, a puppy from a pet store could of easily come from a Puppy mill and those virus' run rampant at those horrible places.

Sumo is a cutie, that's for sure. I'm glad you did the research on the breed as you know lots of socialization is needed as soon as the vacs are done. Excited for your mom as well.

Glad you joined the forums! A webcam to your phone to watch him is brillant!!

[SumosMum]

Your Aussies are gorgeous Kian! As for my neighbor, she might have to get rid of her puppy, he can't stop barking and it's really getting on everybody's nerves especially at 3 am.

We are starting to see the stubbornness of a Chow but it's just funny to watch! The only one who he will really play with his keyven, I woke up this morning to watch Sumo fetch and my son sitting on the floor telling Sumo to grab the ball.. I was stunned!

Mom is super excited and we will be able to go see her baby at the breeder in a couple of weeks with Sumo, the breeder said she almost kept him though her dogs are gorgeous. I will show pictures soon

[SumosMum]

Sumo got his second hots yesterday finally can bring him outside!! Though I might have to change veterinarian cause seriously she was rude to us.. She made a tantrum when I told her I have been socializing Sumo since the day I got him but apparently I failed at it!

He has been touched, petted, kissed and played with all kinds of people.. But I never allowed anyone to hold him so everything I have done was complete garbage in her eyes.. She almost yelled at me for that! Am I a bad owner for not letting anyone hold him?

Now to another topic.. For the first time this year we had Snow this morning and Sumo was so funny, he kept jumping back and forth barking wondering what it was and then just jumped on the Snow, sniffing it.. It was so funny!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Julie, do you use a Veterinary clinic where you never know which Vet you will see? If so, I suggest you select one with whom you are comfortable and who does not make you feel guilty for the things you didn't do, and praises and directs you in a positive manner.

While sometimes we do need to hear the cold, hard truth about things, there are always two ways to deliver the same message and if you left there feeling inadequate or guilty, this is not the Vet for you. I think our choice in a Vet(s) is as personal as our Family Physician, and I am blessed to have a wonderful rapport with mine.

I don't know if allowing others to actually hold your puppy would have been helpful or not. I also don't see the harm in allowing another human to hold your puppy as the puppy is more likely to contract something from what is already on the ground. That being said, it is ultimately up to you, like it is when you have a human baby.

Trust your instincts! You are less likely to call a Vet with whom you feel is going to admonish you when something might actually be terribly wrong, than you are with one with whom you feel totally comfortable. Which is best for Sumo? I hope that answers your question.

[SumosMum]

Thanks a lot Oliver & Henry's Mum! it helps me greatly.. Sumo loves playing, be petted and being touched but one thing I know for certain he hates being held even by us! He will let us hold him but after a few seconds it's enough for him. The second a stranger tries to hold him, he will growl, bark and put his front paws on my shoulder. I just tell people that he doesn't like being held. Since yesterday, I keep asking myself if I am doing something totally wrong and I just prolong his fear of being held.. He is just 12 weeks old (damn time goes by fast!) and I keep asking myself that maybe he is just not ready?

[SumosMum]

New pictures! Hopefully tomorrow it would nicer outside :S

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Julie, Sumo looks like he is laughing in some of the photos.

Not every dog wants to be held. They enjoy being petted and stroked, but do not like the confinement of being held. In my opinion, that is not necessarily a bad thing. However, there may be times when it is necessary to pick up and hold your dog, so you might be wise to teach him to tolerate it for short periods of time for his own safety. I can appreciate that he may prefer his loving on his own four feet, but sometimes it isn't about that. That's something to discuss in the Behaviour Section.

Personally, my frame of reference is that the dog has to be "well mannered" while a Vet does what they need to do. If he isn't able to tolerate that, without growling and nipping, then some work is required. As I said above...Behaviour Section topic.

Sumo is awfully cute, and extremely fluffy. Thanks for the new pictures.

[SumosMum]

We hold Sumo often but not strangers.. I'll go to the behavior section and hopefully find answers if I don't, I will make a new topic. I also reserved 2 separate classes for Sumo starting January 11th.