Rotties in Mozambique, Africa

[Christie]

This is the first time I’m posting here. I moved from Johannesburg, South Africa to Pemba, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique in January with my husband (Graham) and two Jack Russell Terriers (Harley and Layla).
A month ago, my little male, Harley, ran under Graham’s car as he was driving up the driveway. Graham didn’t see him and drove over him

We had been planning a trip to South Africa to visit family when this happened, and we started talking about maybe looking for some puppies while we were there. I wasn’t very happy about getting more dogs so soon after my little boy died, but after a bit more convincing from my husband, I agreed to investigate different breeds. We decided on Rotties and found a registered breeder in Johannesburg. When we went to see him, we fell in love with two of his pups, a boy and a girl. We named them Thumper and Bambi
We brought them back to Pemba on the 16th of March and they are very happy here. We take them to the beach every day and they love swimming in the sea – they look like a couple of baby seals!

We have been importing their food (Royal-Canin) from South Africa and they have been doing very well with their training.
One Problem: We bought crates for them (big enough for a fully-grown rottie) and we’ve been trying to use them for housetraining. The problem is, it is very hot here… 97 degrees F and 95% humidity… at 7am in the morning! They have been struggling with the heat in the crates. I have tried putting the crates in an air-conditioned room with fans blowing onto the crates, but as soon as I let them out, they dash off to their water bowls, gulp down water, get into the bowls (!) and then flop under the coolest tree they can find.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Take care,
Christie Hewlett

[poohbearsmom]

Welcome to the forums, Christie.

Be sure to give the pups ample one on one time with you and your husband. Each should have plenty of time with their humans individually. By doing this, and being consistant about it, they'll be more likely to bond to you, instead of each other, making training, and respecting you easier.

There are plenty of threads on the forums here regarding raising two pups together, take your time to read them, then let us know how you're doing!

Best of luck.

[Denise L.]

Welcome Christie!

I have family in Springs SA. I think Africa is the most beautiful place on earth.

Anyway, be careful with the heat. Rotties don't do well in the heat. In your climate I would keep them in the A/C when inside and in the shade outside with plenty of water available. Don't leave them unattended outside.

Good luck with them and be prepared to learn a LOT from these wonderful folks on Rott.net!

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by Christie

. We named them Thumper and Bambi

Great names - welcome to the Forums. How much time do they spend in the crate at a time? I know Bucky hates the heat/humidity and needs lots of water in the summers here.

Do a search on 2 puppies at once as suggested by PBM - there is lots of info here.

[StephanieandToby]

If they have to be in their crates, I wonder if you can attach extra-large water bottles...like the kind used for small animals...(only big)...just a thought.Not even sure if they'd know how to lick the schnozzle to get a drink...

[zepthedep]

Why dont you put thier water bowls in with them ? when there in thier crates, plus i wouldnt train them to use there crates as toilets [or are we at cross wires here] you then only have to retrain them to go outside doubling the work for you

[JD102175]

Originally Posted by zepthedep

Why dont you put thier water bowls in with them ? when there in thier crates, plus i wouldnt train them to use there crates as toilets [or are we at cross wires here] you then only have to retrain them to go outside doubling the work for you

I think the OP meant that they are using the crates as a housetraining tool, not as a place for the pups to go potty.

Christie-
What type of crates are you using for the pups? Are they wire crates or are they the plastic type?

Jaime

[Christie]

Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for all of your replies! Much appreciated!

To answer Jaime, we are using the plastic type of crate with the wire "door".

Bucky's Mom: they are in the crate for one hour at a time and then allowed outside for 15 minutes to go potty, drink and play. I then put them back in the crate.

Zepthedep: What Jaime said is correct, I am using the crates as a housetraining tool, not as a place to go potty. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. I have tried putting water bowls in the crates, but they tend to knock them over and it gets a bit messy.

StephanieandToby: I like your idea. I'll see what I can get here. Just to give you an idea, I am in deep, dark Africa here. There are no pet stores, and no vet. I import all my dog toys, food, chewies, and innoculations. If we have a problem, we put our vet on a plane and fly him up.

Thanks again to everyone for your advice!

Christie, Thumper, Bambi and Princess Layla, the Jack Russell who runs the roost!

[Maryn306]

There are large all wire crates that are much more open than the solid style, they may do better in those.

Congrats on the pups!!!

[SuMdUmGuY]

Hello Christie,
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your two new babies! As everyone has been telling you, there is a huge amount of valuable information here for you to utilize. I am still fairly new but I can tell you that after spending time on this site, my cofidence in knowledge on the breed has boosted greatly!
Here in Arizona, it gets very hot to say the least !! I keep Duke in a wire crate as they provide much better ventilation than the plastic ones. In addition to that, the crate is indoors where there is AC. If you are going to give them water in their crates, just ensure that you get them out to use the potty as often as possible. Other wise you might be creating an "elimination in the crate" habit. Hope you find the info you need here. Good Luck!!!

[Christie]

I think we've found a solution. I bought my plastic crates in South Africa. If I want to buy wire ones, I'll have to have them flown up from S.Africa. BUT... the local Mozambiqueans make little bamboo cages for their chickens and goats etc. So I've designed a crate with a wooden floor and then bamboo for the 'cage' bit. My staff are busy building them as we speak. I'll let you know if they're any good.

As for raising two littermates: I've been reading the posts here about raising littermates together and the fact that it is hard work. I agree with this totally and wouldn't advise anyone to get 2 puppies at the same time. My situation is extraordinary though. I am in the middle of Africa, my husband works all day and is often away on business trips and there are no friends to be made here. I am at home all day with my dogs. I have nothing else to do except for being a full-time dog mommy.
My pups are 15 weeks old and have a very good routine. I take them for individual walks and train them individually every morning and then in the afternoon I take them for walks together and train them together. Personally, I think they're doing very well. They are great on and off the lead and heel, sit and lie down on command.
Even though I've been struggling a bit with the crating story, they are doing very well with their housetraining.

Let's hope their new crates are a bit more comfortable for them

[SuMdUmGuY]

Christie,
Sorry, this is off the subject. I think that you are sooooo luck to live in Africa . Being in the U.S. Marine Corps, I have been all over the world but I have never been to Africa. I really hope to go there one day. Sorry...just wanted to tell you that.

[poohbearsmom]

Hmmmm... bamboo? It's either going to be a great crate, or a great chew toy with built in dental floss! LOL.. let us know how that works out!

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by SuMdUmGuY

Christie,
Sorry, this is off the subject. I think that you are sooooo luck to live in Africa . Being in the U.S. Marine Corps, I have been all over the world but I have never been to Africa. I really hope to go there one day. Sorry...just wanted to tell you that.

You MUST go! Africa will get into your heart and under your skin and you know will just have to go back again and again and again.

To keep this on topic...I would love to see a photo of a bamboo crate!

It seems that just about everyone in SA has dogs but crate traing wasn't part of their dog training culture...my friends and family anyway.

My aunts have 2 dogs that have never been inside the house! I was so astonished about that and they thought I was a silly thing! A SIL has several dogs, one can come in the house the others can't. It is the big Husky that can come in and the teeny weeny terriers who stay out!

[emillinium]

yes the bamboo crate seems awsome, show us a picture!