My Dogs

[Opti]

Sept 18, 2022 17:53:56 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Sorry to hijack - but everyone hope that this puppy got adopted today. Because if she didn't I might break my own rules about no more puppies tomorrow.

us12b.sheltermanager.com/service?account=sd1822&method=animal_view&animalid=10597

Very cute. Looks like a bundle of happiness and love.

[Deleted]

Sept 18, 2022 17:53:56 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Sorry to hijack - but everyone hope that this puppy got adopted today. Because if she didn't I might break my own rules about no more puppies tomorrow.

us12b.sheltermanager.com/service?account=sd1822&method=animal_view&animalid=10597

Please, no apologies or concerns about “hijacking”! 

And if you adopt her, please report back. 

[Deleted]

Boy clearly knows his name, whether he acknowledges it or not lol.

I’ve been working with him on coming to me when I say so, and sitting. He is most reliable with both in the kitchen because he’s figured out that’s the most likely place he’ll get treats for cooperating. So now I’m the weirdo walking around with treats in my pockets lol. So I can reward him when I randomly tell him to do something and he does it.

But even in his potty spot, when he wants to go back inside the gate, if I start walking around in the grass, away from him, he will follow me. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will do his business, many times he will follow me and just sit at my feet. Meaning that a lot of the time, he just follows me anyway, so I don’t have to call him to me.

He also has an idea of what “leave it” and “drop it” mean, because no matter how much we sweep the deck, there are always pecan pieces and shells on the deck from the squirrels feeding in the the tree that hangs over the deck. I’ve read that pecans can be toxic to dogs, so it’s a constant battle keeping them out of Boy’s mouth.

So that is incentive to work with him on those commands, and he is learning to do both when I tell him to. 

Last night Mister had the bright idea to put Boy on the bed with me after I’d gone to bed for the night. Boy promptly peed on the comforter as soon as Mister walked out the room. 

I threw the comforter on the floor and put Boy in his crate. And spent the rest of the night shivering and listening to Boy whine off and on. Mister slept in another bedroom and did not have to deal with any of that.

That will NOT happen again. 

[Opti]

Sorry about the comforter. He's too young for Mister to not expect that to happen.

[Deleted]

Sept 18, 2022 18:54:31 GMT -5 Opti said:

Sorry about the comforter. He's too young for Mister to not expect that to happen.

I know.

I just reached out to my next door neighbors to ask them if they have any knowledge about the kind of dogs we have, to please talk to Mister about it, because he is not listening to me regarding how we need to handle them. 

They breed and train German Shepards, but I believe he is much more knowledgeable about dogs period, and I hope he can tell Mister some things that Mister will actually listen to, because he is not listening to me.

[weltschmerz]

Sept 18, 2022 17:53:56 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Sorry to hijack - but everyone hope that this puppy got adopted today. Because if she didn't I might break my own rules about no more puppies tomorrow.

us12b.sheltermanager.com/service?account=sd1822&method=animal_view&animalid=10597

cutie-pie.  you should take her and her sister.

[Annie7]

Sept 17, 2022 15:17:06 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Mister says he can’t tell Boy has grown since he came home, but I can tell. I need to figure out how to take pictures at the same angles if I want to track his growth. But for now, these will have to do. 

Pink,

Your dogs and your way of describing their activities ae so good. I especially loved your description of Newbie and Boy sleeping together with Newbie's head on Boy.

You can use the slats in your deck to measure. This is how I measured my pup's growth this past 1.5 years

[Deleted]

Sept 18, 2022 19:27:18 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Sept 18, 2022 18:54:31 GMT -5 Opti said:

Sorry about the comforter. He's too young for Mister to not expect that to happen.

I know.

I just reached out to my next door neighbors to ask them if they have any knowledge about the kind of dogs we have, to please talk to Mister about it, because he is not listening to me regarding how we need to handle them. 

They breed and train German Shepards, but I believe he is much more knowledgeable about dogs period, and I hope he can tell Mister some things that Mister will actually listen to, because he is not listening to me.

I hope so too.  Dogs need someone who understands their unique brains and how they process information.  Training is NOT cruelty, it's giving them a chance at success in our world and utilizing their energy and skills for good outcomes.  It's making sure they do not become "that dog" who is an unwanted cast off because of bad habits whether it's barking or chewing or aggression.  Most dogs really do want to please, but it takes calm and consistent communication for them to learn the ropes.  Your neighbor sounds like a wonderful resource for you.

[Deleted]

Sept 19, 2022 10:38:04 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

Sept 17, 2022 15:17:06 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Mister says he can’t tell Boy has grown since he came home, but I can tell. I need to figure out how to take pictures at the same angles if I want to track his growth. But for now, these will have to do. 

Pink,

Your dogs and your way of describing their activities ae so good. I especially loved your description of Newbie and Boy sleeping together with Newbie's head on Boy.

You can use the slats in your deck to measure. This is how I measured my pup's growth this past 1.5 years

I didn’t think about that. Thanks!

I am glad you enjoy reading about my babies.

Your pup is a beauty! Boy a girl? I can’t tell from the pics. And how old is he/she now?

Feel free to share about your dog here too!

[Deleted]

raeoflyte what happened with the cutie pie? Are we going to have another pup to talk about?

[raeoflyte]

Sept 19, 2022 16:50:38 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

raeoflyte what happened with the cutie pie? Are we going to have another pup to talk about?

I filled out an application for her. That works well because it gives more time for her to be adopted by someone else, and the shelter she's at is almost an hour away and doesn't have evening hours.

So we'll see. The universe could go either way.

[raeoflyte]

We have our level 3 test with devil dog this Saturday. I really can't see him passing. This test they put a rubber band looped around the leash and if it pops off you fail that section. And it's decently tough skills. High distraction heeling, stays, and recalls.

We're practicing but I don't expect a miracle on Saturday. We'll just have to see if we think we can get there within a few weeks or if we should just retake the class.

[Deleted]

Sept 19, 2022 17:13:29 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

We have our level 3 test with devil dog this Saturday. I really can't see him passing. This test they put a rubber band looped around the leash and if it pops off you fail that section. And it's decently tough skills. High distraction heeling, stays, and recalls.

We're practicing but I don't expect a miracle on Saturday. We'll just have to see if we think we can get there within a few weeks or if we should just retake the class.

Devil dog sounds like a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end. I hope lol.

How old is he again?

[Deleted]

Lately, Boy has been like a crazy dog in the morning. I guess it’s pent up energy from having been in his crate overnight. He’s nonstop into everything!

And Newbie is on steroids and an antibiotic, and she is extra sluggish, so I’ve been really trying to keep Boy from bothering her. Today, when he approached her, it was in a more calm manner rather than playful, so maybe he can tell she’s not feeling too good. She still mostly moved away from him though, even though he wasn’t pestering her with his usual antics. She just does NOT want to be bothered right now. Poor Newbie.

Anyway, I tried to figure out how to tire Boy out today. He won’t run around in the yard even if I go with him, he stays close to me. He’d been running back and forth through the house, following me while I was doing laundry and stuff, but he was still full of energy. He literally runs to try to keep up with me, and it’s so cute!

So I decided to try the flirt pole with him. He didn’t “get it” at first, but when I kept moving the end around in front of him, he started chasing it and trying to catch it. Yay!

I kept it on the ground because I think he’s probably too young to be jumping around. But that also made it easier for him to catch lol. But him catching it gave me an opportunity to start teaching him “Out”, to let it go, so it was all good. I only played with it with him for a few minutes, not nearly long enough to tire him out, but it was hot outside and I was already sweaty.

But at least I know now that he will play with it.

[raeoflyte]

Sept 19, 2022 17:58:44 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Sept 19, 2022 17:13:29 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

We have our level 3 test with devil dog this Saturday. I really can't see him passing. This test they put a rubber band looped around the leash and if it pops off you fail that section. And it's decently tough skills. High distraction heeling, stays, and recalls.

We're practicing but I don't expect a miracle on Saturday. We'll just have to see if we think we can get there within a few weeks or if we should just retake the class.

Devil dog sounds like a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end. I hope lol.

How old is he again?

18 months. Worlds most okay-est dog.

[Deleted]

Well Newbie came back to life a little while ago and played with Boy. It was all playing and nothing happened to make me nervous. She chased him around the deck, and he chased her. She never went down the stairs like she does when she really wants to get away from him. Nor did she run to me like she does when she wants me to make him leave her alone.

Idk where she is right now, I can’t see her, so maybe she’s down in the grass. I know she’s not out in the yard, because the gate is closed.

And Boy….. he’s under my chair taking a nap lol.

All is well in my doggie world.

[weltschmerz]

Sept 19, 2022 17:13:29 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

We have our level 3 test with devil dog this Saturday. I really can't see him passing. This test they put a rubber band looped around the leash and if it pops off you fail that section. And it's decently tough skills. High distraction heeling, stays, and recalls.

We're practicing but I don't expect a miracle on Saturday. We'll just have to see if we think we can get there within a few weeks or if we should just retake the class.

Have you seen ths? It cracks me up every time!

[raeoflyte]

Sept 19, 2022 22:57:53 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Sept 19, 2022 17:13:29 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

We have our level 3 test with devil dog this Saturday. I really can't see him passing. This test they put a rubber band looped around the leash and if it pops off you fail that section. And it's decently tough skills. High distraction heeling, stays, and recalls.

We're practicing but I don't expect a miracle on Saturday. We'll just have to see if we think we can get there within a few weeks or if we should just retake the class.

Have you seen ths? It cracks me up every time!

That's awesome! And its 1 of his tests he has to try to pass this week.

[Annie7]

Sept 19, 2022 16:48:53 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Sept 19, 2022 10:38:04 GMT -5 Annie7 said:

I didn’t think about that. Thanks!

I am glad you enjoy reading about my babies.

Your pup is a beauty! Boy a girl? I can’t tell from the pics. And how old is he/she now?

Feel free to share about your dog here too!

Thanks Pink.

Nala is an almost 20 months German Shepherd. She is a good girl most of the time. She has become dog reactive recently after she came back from boarding for 3 weeks while I went on vacation. She is good with dogs she knows but any dog she doesn't know, she lunges and barks at them. If she gets to meet the dogs, she is fine. She is good with big and small dogs. She handicaps herself with small dogs by lying down and listens to me telling her no paw (so she doesn't use her big paw on the small dogs in play).

The trainer agreed with me about sending her to daycare a couple of times a week to socialize her more with other dogs. She was moved from the big active dogs section in daycare to the calmer and smaller dogs section. She was anxious in the big dog section and is now much happier in this place. Apparently she loves water so much she will play by herself in the kiddie pool they have even when all other dogs have gone inside. 

Love having her in my life. I wake up with a smile and go to bed with a smile because of her.

[chiver78]

Sept 19, 2022 18:14:45 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Lately, Boy has been like a crazy dog in the morning. I guess it’s pent up energy from having been in his crate overnight. He’s nonstop into everything!

And Newbie is on steroids and an antibiotic, and she is extra sluggish, so I’ve been really trying to keep Boy from bothering her. Today, when he approached her, it was in a more calm manner rather than playful, so maybe he can tell she’s not feeling too good. She still mostly moved away from him though, even though he wasn’t pestering her with his usual antics. She just does NOT want to be bothered right now. Poor Newbie.

Anyway, I tried to figure out how to tire Boy out today. He won’t run around in the yard even if I go with him, he stays close to me. He’d been running back and forth through the house, following me while I was doing laundry and stuff, but he was still full of energy. He literally runs to try to keep up with me, and it’s so cute!

So I decided to try the flirt pole with him. He didn’t “get it” at first, but when I kept moving the end around in front of him, he started chasing it and trying to catch it. Yay!

I kept it on the ground because I think he’s probably too young to be jumping around. But that also made it easier for him to catch lol. But him catching it gave me an opportunity to start teaching him “Out”, to let it go, so it was all good. I only played with it with him for a few minutes, not nearly long enough to tire him out, but it was hot outside and I was already sweaty.

But at least I know now that he will play with it.

they definitely can sense when something's not right. not long after I moved to the Cape, I was out walking Punk. she was about 4-5mo and had just discovered how fun it is to jump on people to meet them. well, we met a neighbor one day, who was wheeling an oxygen tank with her as she walked out to her mailbox. I was terrified that Punk would knock this poor woman over, but everything worked out. I asked the woman to let me get Punk settled to meet her, and I kept two fingers in the back of her collar the whole time. I never felt so much as a hint of a pull from Punk while she met this fragile older lady. 

and welts, that's hilarious, and exactly what a golden retriever does. 

[raeoflyte]

Shelter wrote back that we should come meet her! We can't till Saturday though so someone could swoop in before then.

I have been so adamant no puppies. Dh is a little freaked out I think. We have a few nights to think on it though.

[Deleted]

Sept 20, 2022 16:34:29 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Shelter wrote back that we should come meet her! We can't till Saturday though so someone could swoop in before then.

I have been so adamant no puppies. Dh is a little freaked out I think. We have a few nights to think on it though.

You are hoping the universe saves you from yourself? 

Well in my experience, the universe often has a wicked sense of humor, so I’ll be waiting for all the deets after your visit Saturday.

And I hope you know I say all of that with love and a sense of humor myself.

How old is the puppy? 

[Deleted]

Boy has been driving me nuts all day. I am tired myself of hearing “NO” Leave it!” “Drop it!” “Leave her alone!”. All.freaking.day.

I may have to borrow raeoflyte’s phrase and start calling HIM devil dog!

[raeoflyte]

Sept 20, 2022 17:14:00 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Boy has been driving me nuts all day. I am tired myself of hearing “NO” Leave it!” “Drop it!” “Leave her alone!”. All.freaking.day.

I may have to borrow raeoflyte’s phrase and start calling HIM devil dog!

Yes! Tell me all the awful things the puppy does! Lol.

The pup is about 20 weeks, so not super tiny, but still more puppy then I intended. I do kind of want the universe to save me from myself but have also talked myself into pulling the kids out of school a little early Friday to drive up then and meet her.

[Deleted]

Sept 20, 2022 18:11:02 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Sept 20, 2022 17:14:00 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Boy has been driving me nuts all day. I am tired myself of hearing “NO” Leave it!” “Drop it!” “Leave her alone!”. All.freaking.day.

I may have to borrow raeoflyte ’s phrase and start calling HIM devil dog!

Yes! Tell me all the awful things the puppy does! Lol.

The pup is about 20 weeks, so not super tiny, but still more puppy then I intended. I do kind of want the universe to save me from myself but have also talked myself into pulling the kids out of school a little early Friday to drive up then and meet her then.

 Yes, I see a puppy in your near future lol.

As far as the awful stuff…..

Boy is only 9 weeks, but housetraining him is a pain in the ass. Especially when he starts whining in the middle of the night and one of us has to get out of bed and take him outside to pee and/or poop. And he can be outside with me for a long time and pee in the house as soon as we go inside. I don’t like that lol.

He bites/chews/tries to eat any and everything. I am constantly fishing stuff out of his mouth when we are outside (YUCK!) and today for instance, we battled for hours about whether or not he could chew on Mister’s shoe that he left in the den. Of course I could just insist all our shoes are ALWAYS in our closet, but that doesn’t teach Boy not to chew on shoes, and it’s also not practical because we don’t keep our houseshoes in the closet. 

He knows his name and even the command to come here. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t play crazy sometimes. He also has a general idea of what sit, leave it, and drop it mean, but again, he plays crazy a lot. So it’s a lot of work, time and energy trying to train a puppy.

If I think of more, I will come back.

[Pink Cashmere]

Boy is still doing him lol.

Yesterday I insisted he walk down the steps on the deck himself. He whined and cried, and I just stood at the bottom waiting on him. When he finally got the nerve to come down the first step, I praised him and told him what a good boy he is. He still whines and cries about going down them by himself, I just wait for him to do it.

He seems to know where he’s supposed to poop now. Yesterday I had them on the side of the house and he wandered of to his “potty area”. I followed him and he sniffed around for a while, and finally pooped. YAY! But he still doesn’t have peeing together. He’ll do that anywhere, including inside the house, right after he comes back inside.

I don’t like that.

The last of his potbelly from the worms is finally gone. He still has another round of dewormer to go. Now he’s skinny all over, you can clearly see his ribs. Which makes him look TOO skinny to me, but I don’t want to make him fat like Newbie either. We’re feeding him like we are supposed to, so Idk. I’ll see what the vet says about it when he goes back. Even my next door neighbor said Newbie is overweight.

[weltschmerz]

Sept 24, 2022 17:13:16 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Boy is still doing him lol.

Yesterday I insisted he walk down the steps on the deck himself. He whined and cried, and I just stood at the bottom waiting on him. When he finally got the nerve to come down the first step, I praised him and told him what a good boy he is. He still whines and cries about going down them by himself, I just wait for him to do it.

He seems to know where he’s supposed to poop now. Yesterday I had them on the side of the house and he wandered of to his “potty area”. I followed him and he sniffed around for a while, and finally pooped. YAY! But he still doesn’t have peeing together. He’ll do that anywhere, including inside the house, right after he comes back inside.

I don’t like that.

The last of his potbelly from the worms is finally gone. He still has another round of dewormer to go. Now he’s skinny all over, you can clearly see his ribs. Which makes him look TOO skinny to me, but I don’t want to make him fat like Newbie either. We’re feeding him like we are supposed to, so Idk. I’ll see what the vet says about it when he goes back. Even my next door neighbor said Newbie is overweight.

Glad to have you back!  I missed your dog posts.

[Pink Cashmere]

I took the dogs out in the back yard yesterday. Newbie got the zoomies and Boy tried to chase her for about 1 second. He clearly could not keep up lol. Newbie played chase with him a few times, by chasing him and letting him chase her. Boy ventured out farther in the yard than he ever has so far, but still not too far from me. 

I was happy to see them playing and chasing each other. Especially since Newbie didn’t get those wrinkles in her nose that make me so nervous. So I will take them out there together more often.

Boy’s coat has a nice sheen to it now. Probably because he’s healthier now overall, and maybe also due to chiver78 telling me about Salmon Oil, which we’ve been giving our dogs since Chiver first told me about it.

But his fur looks like it might be turning brown too. I’ll love him regardless of what color his fur is, but I like his gray color a lot.

[chiver78]

I can't say enough about that salmon oil. LD arrived with a history of eczema, and he's fine now. Punks fur is super soft, too. glad Boy is doing well with it!

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 25, 2022 14:26:44 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I can't say enough about that salmon oil. LD arrived with a history of eczema, and he's fine now. Punks fur is super soft, too. glad Boy is doing well with it!

I don’t think we buy the exact same salmon oil you use, but that doesn’t matter Imo. Newbie definitely seems to have allergies, but those seem to be environmental allergies. I’ve never had a dog that had sensitive skin lol. But I definitely believe the salmon oil helps with their skin and their coats.

I forgot to say that one time yesterday when I took Boy out the gate to his potty spot, he wandered over to the driveway. There was a dead grasshopper or something that he wanted to investigate and I told him to leave it. He did, but then he sat down to scratch at his collar, and then I saw the grasshopper or whatever was covered in ants that had started to scatter when he was sniffing, and he sat down right on top of them. EEK! I picked him up to move him since he doesn’t always come when I tell him to yet, and there were already several ants on him. 

I started knocking them off of him, which seemed to confuse him, maybe he felt like I was hitting him. And he hadn’t done anything wrong. Even if he HAD done something wrong, I would never hit him. I wasn’t rough, I was just brushing the ants off with my hand, but it was not the same gentle touch I always have with him, but I couldn’t just pick them off individually with my fingers (my nerves!), so I was doing the best I could to quickly get them off of him.

He didn’t hold it against me as far as I could tell, but I still felt bad when he seemed confused about what I was doing.