My Opicat

This be my Opie. =) I adopted him about a month ago and he's one damn good pup. He's completely housebroken and already knows sit and down, although we're still working on stay. I must say, he's got more impulse control than most puppies I've met. And he's very intelligent. It's obvious to me that he actually works to understand what I'm telling him to do. Still, he's stubborn and pushes his luck a lot. We've got quite a bit of work to do on his recall.

He likes to become selectively deaf when I'm calling him. So I've stopped calling him when he's off leash unless I'm pretty positive he's going to actually come back to me. When he's on the leash, I give him a little tug along with the command and he responds well.

He was a little hand shy when we brought him home but he doesn't cringe when someone reaches out to pet him on the head anymore. =) I take him for daily walks and he absolutely loves everyone. I've been trying to socialize him with other dogs, but it's hard for me to find a dog that's willing to put up with him. He likes to get in their face and lick and paw at them. He doesn't seem to understand that when they growl at him, he has to back off. But he seems to burn the most energy when he is able to play hard with another puppy, so I do my best to give him playtime with younger dogs and more tolerant older dogs.

I have high hopes for Opie. I believe he's going to be a great dog. He's a charmer, that's for sure. As long as we work his energy out with a good walk and playtime, he's pretty content most of the time. I'm hoping to get into some sport with him once he's old enough. He's got the energy and the drive. I'm thinking weight pulling is definitely something I want to get into. Anyone know of any good clubs or such for it in Kentucky?

Anyway, here are some pictures. =)

 

He is not selectively def, he is in prey/hunt mode. Just like a sight hound or a scent hound you ain't never gonna recall them once they get on a trail. I advise you to keep him leashed or it will be an accident waiting to happen. They make long leads so you can give them some room to run n work/play without any worries. Also keep in mind he might play well now with other dogs but as he grows may get aggressive, just be aware. He is a nice looking dog could use some exercise to tone him up if you wanted to. Good luck with him.

 

Don't worry, he stays on leash at all times when we're not in a fenced in area. I've been taking him out to the park to work on his recall, as they have what used to be a baseball field that's fenced in.

And I'm prepared for DA. When I moved out of my dad's house last year, I had to leave behind my APBT/Boxer, Mila. She was just like Opie as a pup, but she started showing signs of aggression toward other dogs at around a year old. I'm expecting it with Opie. Better safe than sorry. So any interaction he has with them are carefully supervised. I just want him to be able to enjoy spending time with them now because he's young. Once he's old enough to start on some actual conditioning, I'm going to focus on that as a way to work him out. I'm just letting him be a pup right now.

One question I have is about how much is just right for him at the moment. He's five months old so I don't want to overdo anything. But he seems to have endless energy. I figure I'll just let him do what he needs to tire him out. But how far of a walk every day is too far? He's pretty relentless when he walks, staying at the end of the leash. I don't imagine he's going to overwork himself, but I want to make sure he's taking it fairly easy on his joints and such for right now. I don't know how good Opie's genetics are since I don't know his background. But I just want to make sure I'm taking good care of his body.

 

Cool, sounds like you are well prepared. I honestly thought he was older than 5 months looking at the pics. I wouldn't worry about toning him now. Walking and fetch are low impact for now. I heard a saying for a puppy 5 minutes for every month of age to keep it easy on their joints. How much does he weigh right now?

 

Just a word of advice, ditch that collar and get something more solid. That is not a collar for any "pit bull" type dog - those little flimsy plastic buckles really suck and break easy.

Try Stillwater or if you like things more "fancy" a site like Collar Mania and pick out a collar with a nice sturdy metal "belt style" buckle.

 

Stillwater Kennel Supply --
Ella's Lead - Home
Collar Mania Custom Dog Collars - Home

Stay away from the quick release plastic ones - you want the double bar belt buckle style.

 

i"ve found that the greyhound ,lurcher collars are good for young dogs as they dont put much pressure on the windpipe area ! :dogkiss:

 

You want to take a look at wardog kennels collars top quailty. nice looking pup by the way...

 

good lookn dog

 

Thanks all. =) Opie weighs about eighteen pounds. And I'm planning on getting him a better collar. I picked up my old stillwater kennel from home, but it's far too big for him at the moment. He's got such a tiny neck. I'll check out some of those sites, but I'll probably go with another stillwater. Still, I'm a collar hoarder, so I'll probably end up with all kinds.

 

Wardog on here also makes collars, if you want yet another option to add to your list. You might be able to talk to him about getting a puppy collar made.

 

Hey, I like his looks!!