The Sewing Mom

My dog, you know the one, just gave me more reason to not be too happy with her. 

She’d been outside and was scratching at the door to be let in.  I let her in and promptly went off to the laundry room to get the clothes out of the dryer.  I could hear her making noises that she tends to make when she’s happy and playing.  She was in the family room when I came out of the laundry room.  I thought she was playing with a piece of mulch, one of her favorite things to chew on.  She was acting a bit suspicious however, so I thought I better check it out. 

I approached her and saw what sort of looked like dog poop.  I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why she would be playing with it, I just knew it looked different then mulch.  I opened the back door and tried to get her to take whatever it was outside.  You see, if you attempt to get something from her she’ll turn it into a game and start running around the house with it.  If you ignore her she’ll tend to drop it.  So, I went outside and stood there waiting for her.  I thought she’d follow me, she didn’t. 

Eventually I came back in and took another look.  That’s when it registered.  She had this thing in her mouth and what I saw hanging out of her mouth was a tail, a mouse tail.  GROSS!!  I grabbed the broom and my intent was to scare her into dropping it (although I didn’t really want it on the carpet), but instead she ran outside with it still in her mouth.  I know I should be trying to get it away from her, but I also know that she will just grab it and run, turning it into a game of chase.  I really don’t feel like playing that game, so I’m hoping that she’ll get bored with it (it’s dead and stiff after all) and drop it.  I’m just really hoping she doesn’t attempt to eat it.  I’m just disgusted, yuck.

No tags.

I need to look at a cute picture of the dog so I won’t remember that she’s driving me nuts!  My little Plinko has entered her teenager phase.  I’m certainly hoping it won’t last long because I can’t deal with her sneakiness and my daughter’s mood swings all at the same time!

We tend to stick to a reasonable routine throughout the week, up at the same time, to bed at the same time, not too much excitement in between, normal, everyday routine stuff.  At night, we always make sure Plinko has gone outside before we put her in her crate for bed.  We tend to go to bed right after she does, around 9-ish. 

Last night Plinko was falling asleep while we were watching T.V. and just before we went to bed my daughter had her go outside to do her business.  She was only out for a few minutes before she was back at the door.  She was let in and put in her crate for bed and we headed off to our own beds, lights out.  Within minutes Plinko was whining.  I wondered if perhaps she hadn’t been outside long enough and maybe forgot to go potty before coming back in.

So, after listening to her cry for about ten minutes, I got back up out of bed and went to her crate.  As soon as I opened the door of the crate she went flying out, running around the house like a big goofball, with no indication that she needed to go outside.  Still, I kept thinking that there must’ve been some reason she was crying, I think I was too tired to realize she was playing me for a fool!

I opened the back door and she then went flying outside.  NOT to go potty, but to chase all the bunnies that apparently are out in the yard at night.  She was running like a mad dog all over the yard and wouldn’t come back in.  So, I went to bed.  Of course, there was no way I was going to fall asleep while she was still outside.  I was too afraid she’d somehow chase one through or under the fence and would follow it.  Instead, I laid in bed wondering how long it would be before she would want back in. 

After about 15 minutes, I’d had enough and really wanted to go to sleep.  I got up, went outside with a flashlight and tried enticing the dog to come back in.  Nothing doing.  I told her I’d give her a biscuit and she sniffed the air to confirm if I had one with me.  Since I didn’t, she ran to the other side of the yard, as fast as she could.  Now, I’m really getting ticked.

I stomped back into the kitchen and got a biscuit and went outside again.  This time she could smell it and did come to me.  I picked her up, marched back into the house, told her what a bad girl she was being and put her in her crate.   I then went to bed where it took me a while to get to sleep because I was mad at the dog.  No, she did not get the biscuit!

No tags.

I was thinking so much about our little dog Plinko this morning that I thought I needed to post a picture of her.  For anyone following her growth (Robyn), she is now 21 lbs and about 13 inches tall.  She’s 5 1/2 months old and thankfully beyone the potty training stage, finally!  It’s been almost two weeks since our last potty accident in the house.  It has helped that it’s been cool enough for me to leave the door open for her to go in and out.  My proudest moment though was the other day when the door was closed and she scratched at it to get out.  YAY! 

No tags.

Okay, Plinko has officially left the tiny puppy, potty training, infant stage.  She is now in the I’m going to do whatever I want and eat everything stage!

She is very smart, there is no denying it.  One sign of a very intelligent dog is their ability to be sneaky.  Plinko is like this.  Sometimes you can even see the wheels turning in that little head of hers, thinking of what she is going to do based on her expectation of what we are going to do in a particular situation.  Here’s how she operates.

Saturday, my daughter had Plinko with her in her bedroom, they were bonding (playing).  This is probably the most dangerous room in the house for Plinko because she sees too many things that she wants.  There are all sort of small toys, stuffed animals, clothes on the floor, pillows, etc.  She’s not allowed in this special room too often, although, it is her favorite room in the house. 

Without my daughter’s knowledge, Plinko grabbed hold of a small stuffed bear that was wearing clothes.  (I know what you’re thinking, but don’t all stuffed bears wear clothes?)  She somehow managed to get the little pants off of the bear which is where my daughter comes in.  She saw little tiny pants hanging out of Plinko’s mouth.  Immediately she grabbed ahold of the dog (a feat in itself) and began telling Plinko to “drop it”, a command learned at puppy training.   Now the only way we’ve figured this command works is if you have something to trade for whatever it is you want her to drop such as a biscuit.  In this case, my daughter had nothing, so of course, Plinko refused to give in to the command.

After approximately 10 minutes of trying to pry the pants out of Plinko’s clamped jaw, my daughter let go to get a better grip.  In that split second, Plinko’s little brain decided the only way to win this battle was to swallow, which she did, pants and all.  Now this isn’t the first unusual item Plinko has eaten, she had after all, eaten construction paper earlier in the day, but it was probably the least digestable item she’s savored. 

Plinko has suffered no ill effects from eating the pants, although we do believe they are still located inside of her.  We continue to be on poop watch.

No tags.

My neighbor just brought home the cutest little puppy (besides Plinko of course).  It’s a little 2 month old Shorkie, half shit-zu half yorkie.  It’s just so cute, a bundle of fur.  I wasn’t actually sure what it was when I first saw him, thought it was maybe a guinea pig!  Got closer and realized it was the cutest dog, lots of fur and little short legs.  I think there are springs attached to the legs, he likes to bound in the grass which is very funny. 

My neighbor said they haven’t had a dog in about 15 years, but when she saw our little Plinko she decided she needed a puppy too!  I wish her well, the first couple of months are not the easiest, but I’m sure she’s going to have one very cute dog. 

No tags.

 

This little dog is so worn out from yesterday it’s funny.  There was so much going on yesterday with house cleaning and final Halloween decorations going up, I don’t think Plinko ever did get her naps in.  She usually takes at least two good naps a day.  Last night, just as she’d get comfortable and start to drift off the doorbell would ring with trick-or-treaters awaiting their treats and she’d get all excited again.  I can tell today that she’s not sick, just very tired.  She’s been playing, but whenever I sit down for any amount of time she lays down by my feet and tries to go to sleep.  Once, she even snuck off into my daughter’s t.v. room and found her way into the big fuzzy chair.  She looked so sweet and tired I just had to let her stay there!

No tags.

Okay, I know I posted a picture earlier of Plinko in her pumpkin costume, but before my daughter did that, she put a little t-shirt on the dog that said “princess”.  It was so funny.  It was tight and my husband said it reminded him of one of the half-tops girls used to wear in the 80’s to try to be sexy!  We were rolling laughing, not sure the dog was too happy about it though.

No tags.

Poor Plinko!  My daughter decided last night that Plinko needed a costume.  She looked through her enormous collection of Build-a-Bear clothes and found a pumpkin costume.  It took her quite a while to get it on the poor dog who was not cooperating.  I should’ve had the video camera going on this whole episode.  After finally getting the costume on the dog, Plinko ran outside, went nuts, and then stepped into the pool, so the costume was all wet!

No tags.

Shew!  My little puppy Plinko came in this afternoon after spending some time outside and she was limping!  She was holding her back leg completely off the ground and not walking on it at all.  She wasn’t whining though so I figured at least it wasn’t broken!  I just had no idea what was wrong.

So, I sat on the floor with her and tried to look at her foot.  Now, this isn’t as easy as it sounds because when ever you sit with her, she just wants to bite on you and play.  Luckily one of her chew bones was laying there so I kept putting it in her mouth to keep her busy while I tried to check out her foot and leg. 

I started my massaging her leg from the hip down so I could feel for any lumps or tender spots.  In between biting me and the bone, I didn’t find anything.  I moved slowly down towards her foot and the closer I got to her foot the more she started biting on me instead of the bone.  When I reached her toes she started biting me and her toes.  This was my sign that the problem was something to do with her toes.   This is also when I’m thankful she has short hair, it makes it easier to see if there is a problem, not having to look through all the hair.

I was able to separate her toes and found what was either a very small thorn or a dead fire ant.  With as many fire ants that are around right now I’d guess that’s what it was.  Once I removed it from between her toes and I continued to massage her foot and toes and she lessened the amount she was biting on me and after a few minutes was up and walking on her foot as if nothing had happened.  I was so thankful as I didn’t want to have to call the vet, that would’ve been expensive I’m sure!

No tags.

Did you know that most dogs that are taken to shelters are there because their owners couldn’t get them house trained?  That is shocking to me.  I know it’s frustrating, but it’s not impossible.  I think it’s sad that people get a puppy without doing their research and teaching themselves how to teach their puppy.  If a dog cannot be house-trained it is more than likely the fault of the owner, not the dog.  Mind you, we are still in the house-training stage, but we have gone from many accidents in a day to having most days accident free. 

Here are some tips to house-training your dog. 

First, I highly recommend having some sort of crate.  It really doesn’t matter which type you choose, although I don’t recommend using a fabric crate, they are more difficult to clean.  The crate provides a safe zone for your pet where the dog sleeps or rests when you cannot give him your full attention.  The crate should be large enough for your puppy to stand up in and turn around but not too large.  Dogs do not like to mess near their beds, so if the crate is the right size, they will try their hardest to not go potty in it.  Initially you will use the crate frequently, but as the house-training progresses you may use it less frequently.  Place the crate in an area in your home where you spend the most time so that while the dog is in the crate he still feels close to you. 

Next, I recommend keeping your dog on a leash anytime he is not in the crate.  This includes when he is in the house.  When the dog is not in the crate it should be near you at all times and in your line of sight.  This makes it easy for you to see when the dog starts to show signs that he needs to eliminate.  Usually a dog will start sniffing, walking in circles, or some other similar action that will indicate it needs to go outside.  If you have the leash, it is very easy and very quick to get the dog out the door and eliminate the possibility of an accident in the house.

Along the same lines as keeping the dog on a leash, limit the dogs access to areas of your home.  As the house-training progresses, you may wish to add more area.  We keep our puppy’s crate in our family room.  When she is not in the crate she can roam in the family room and kitchen areas only.  This is where we spend the majority of our time.  If we are not in those rooms, she is in her crate.  Never leave your puppy out of the crate unsupervised.

Also, don’t leave a bowl of water down for easy, all day access.  Give your dog water on a schedule, remember, what goes in, must come out, and water goes through a puppy very quickly.  If you know when your dog drank water, you will know when to take it outside to go potty.  Just because a dog is panting, that does not mean they are thirsty.  Panting is how a dog gets rid of its sweat.  Yes, a dog needs fresh water, they just don’t need open access to it, especially as a puppy.

Finally, make sure you are using positive reinforcement to reward your puppy when he does his business outside.  Use the same words repeatedly, each time, so he learns that “good potty” means okay, I peed outside so I get a treat!  Small, soft training treats work the best.  Remember, dogs don’t speak English so it’s important that you use the same words for any command you are trying to teach. 

Remember too that if you do get frustrated, many pet supply stores offer puppy training and potty training.  Many will give you answers to your questions for free if you just ask.  Reach out for help, don’t just give up.

 Subscribe to The Sewing Mom

Technorati Tags: dogs, house-trained, puppy training, potty training

No tags.