Thursday, February 19th, 2009
If you’ve had puppies, you have likely thought, while house training puppy, whether jokingly or not, “I should buy stock in paper towels”. With all the piddle spots and piles of poop.. big or little.. at some point you feel like, enough already.
I’m having a week of it. We have two italian greyhound which are notoriously difficult to house train. I did my research before deciding on this breed, so I was well aware ahead of time what we were in for. And get it we have. At 1.5 years old and 10 mos old neither can claim to be fully house trained dogs.
Both of them will go out doors to potty. Our male Enzo will, oddly enough, even go out in the rain or freezing snowy weather. But he will also still do some business in the house. Our girl, Ella, will also go out in the snow but not the bitterly freezing weather and certainly not in the rain. Cleaning up after them has usually been a daily thing. Sometimes so much as having to strip the beds (can we say UGH!?). Sometimes buying stock in urine eliminators like Nature’s Miracle (our favorite to use) has slipped through out lips too. But so far nothing surpasses our use of paper towels as of late.
It’s gotten much worse lately. Why, you ask? For some reason, we thought adding two more dogs, er pups, at one time, to our family was a good idea.
One is 3.5 months and the other is 2.5 months. They love to go outside… not caring if is cold, rainy, muddy. The weather just doesn’t matter a bit to them. Their being Australian Shepherds (well, in this case, one is a toy, one is a mini) certainly aids in their love of the outdoors. Regardless of their time spent in the wonderful outdoors, it is not uncommon to let them in and turn around 5 minutes later and find a piddle spot.
This morning, I snatched up both of the babies (it’s my love word for the puppies) and herded everyone else (besides the four I’m talking about, we have a whippet and an aussie who are older and very house trained) out the door for potty time, depositing the little ones on the top step. They spent quite a bit of time playing, checking out the frozen ground, grass, and even, yes, doing some potty business, etc… came in and I found myself still cleaning up a couple of piddle spots. Ack!
Thank goodness our house is completely hard flooring. Old wood floor, linoleum, and the basement is still cement. Makes for easy cleaning – even more so if they would keep it on the floor all the time.
If we aren’t using paper towels to clean up the mess, we use wet wipes (those are expensive too, but get poop cleaned up really well), and I hate using clothe towels.. regardless of what we use, we use a lot of it. I’ll be happy when nicer weather is here and I can make myself commit to house training more seriously than just shooing them all out the back door.
It’s not like the little dogs won’t go outdoors to do potty business.. they just don’t confine it to outdoors. They will too, at their own initiative, use the potty pads I have laid out.. again, they don’t confine to that area.
When I trained the whippets many years ago, I was totally committed. I would get up in the middle of the night, bundle up and walk them on a leash around the yard. After 3 pregnancies (one a late loss), two of which producing a couple of energetic, mom-needy boys who home school.. plus my dealing with crohn’s disease.. I just don’t have that commitment like I did. But, I will get them trained. In the mean time.. I’ve decided I won’t be buying Sparkle brand paper towels any more. I might as well use a piece of writing paper for all the soaking up they do. So, what’s the best brand and what are the prices of their stock.
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Posted in Dog Breeds, Humor, My Dogs, Training & Tricks | No Comments »
Monday, August 11th, 2008
Last year, in late September, we went into a pet store (I know.. I know.. really, I do..) and they happened to have 2 italian greyhounds (male and female).
I was proudly “owned” by an 8 year old whippet (Bean) and a 4 year old, recently adopted, australian shepherd (Sky).. but I’d recently been thinking the italian greyhound would be a nice dog.. small, small enough to snuggle on my lap, small enough to pick up and carry as well as being loving and attentive.. While both our older dogs love to be loved on, neither are much in the way of long-term couch (or bed) snuggling. At the same time, I was dealing with a life-long disease (crohn’s) and as a result dealing, with depression.. having a dog to snuggle with was therapy for me.
Back to the pet store visit… this little boy IG (I happened to be interested specifically in the boy, as I’d read how much more cuddly they were then female – though, now I’m not sure I agree with that assumption) stretched his skinny little blue and white body across one of our boys laps and my heart swelled.
Over the course of a week, my husband and I discussed whether adding another dog to our family, along with the source of the dog (pet store) was a good idea. In the end, the little blue won out and we went back to get him.
He’s a lovely “biggy” iggy – named Enzo, now over a year old and weighing around 16 pounds.. he’s shy around people, loving, playful, and such a little comedian. I cannot imagine life without my little guy. He’s brought so much energy to our doggy family, and while many IG’s tend to follow their person around – sometimes to the point of no privacy – my guy is a little more independent.. but he’s a good snuggler all the same.
This July, we found a breeder who had a lovely little fawn and white female IG… and, it was love at first site. When I picked our little girl up, she looked at me, as if to say “finally, there you are”… she immediately bonded to me – I am Mom. She loves everyone in our house (from the 4 & 7 year old boys, to the teen girls, the other dogs and dad too).. but I.am.Mom. My husband says how, with all the dogs we’ve ever owned, and while I’ve always been “mom” to them all, he’s never seen one bond to me as quickly and so completely, as our little Ella Roo did..
And.. if I thought Enzo was just the right dog breed for me.. I quickly found in Ella, the rest of the package.. I love how she follows me around, she’ll sit and watch me as I get ready for work, she bounds into the bed to dive under the covers for some warm snuggling.. she sassy and playful, a little love and won’t put up with anything from the other dogs, or the kids.
Ahhhh… life is sweet..
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Posted in Choosing a Dog, My Dogs, Owning a Dog, Toy Group | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
by Ashish Jain
Australian Shepherd is every bit as graceful as its more famous German variety. And like German Shepherd, these too, are bred as herd dogs, trained and nourished to take care of cattle. Also referred to as “Aussie”, they first appeared in Australia in the early 1800s and come in colors ranging from near black to blue merle. The original purpose of this breed was to serve as guardians for sheep and cattle herds, but it did not take very long for them to build a reputation for sharp intelligence and unfailing loyalty.
They also come in a number of sizes from sleek and gangling to short and stout. They weight from 35 to 65, and some of them have now the famous one-blue-one-brown-eye combination. Quite a prankster, the Aussies’ capacity for ‘humor’ is matchless among dogs.
However, the Aussie is not for everyone. Having been bred as a herd dog it does not take well to the apartment living of the modern day. It needs space to move and play around. They have no patience to sit and watch television alongside other family members. Their idea of socialization is going out in open, jog around a little and play around a lot. So, if you are one of those television-after-office kind, the Aussie is certainly not for you. It is energetic to the extremes and would try its best to pull you in an active game. Do not expect it to lie at your feet while you type away on your computer or do easy chit chat on phone. You may live in a apartment and it will be happy so long as evenings are his and he gets to play “canine frisbee” or catch-me-if-you-can every evening without fail.
Once you are home from office, it would either want you to indulge with him in a wrestling match or take him out. If you don’t do either, he would find something to do all by himself, which may not be a good news, for they have the reputation for chewing and eating anything that allows their teeth to sink in.
It is highly intelligent and has this deep rooted tendency to closely ‘investigate’ everything. If you are cooking, it may come in to smell and check if the pots smell good and if you are in the shower it may jump in to join you. Besides, they are not really very welcoming hosts. Their sense of humor goes to dogs (other dogs, that is) when it comes to entertaining an unknown guest. They would stare and growl if a guest drops in unannounced. So, if you are getting an Aussie, tell your friends not to ring the bell every time they happen to pass by, for the Aussie is not going to like it. They are kind to children and are staunch protectors of the family.
About the author:
To get more information on pet dogs and dog breeds visit http://www.thepetdogs.com/ To read more article visit special sections on Dog Breeds and Dog Training.
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Posted in Dog Breeds, Herding Group | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
by Donovan Baldwin
It was 1994. I had just gone through a divorce after several painful and tumultuous years that had resulted in my becoming distanced from my children…or them from me.
I had met and married a lady with two children…twin teenage daughters. She, and they, had been through their own trying period as mommy and daddy’s marriage fell apart, and their father dealt them all blow after painful blow.
My new wife and I had agreed that I was not to even try to raise her children. She saw that as an unfair task to place on me considering my experiences, their experiences, and their ages…they were thirteen. We did agree that I was the adult male in the house and, with her, was a co-head of the house and would act as father in all such events.
That’s how we got Diamond.
We had just moved into our first real home together after a few months in a small apartment. We found a house for rent just around the corner from the girls’ grandmother. It was great because they had visited there many times, and had even lived with her for a while, so they had grown up with many of the kids in the neighborhood and knew many of the families.
One of the families had a dog, and this dog had a litter of puppies. As my wife puts it, they were part Australian Shepherd and part fence-jumper. Some would say “Heinz 57″.
I am sure that you have guessed what happened next! In marched the two of them carrying this little black bundle of fur. They went straight to their mom and asked the inevitable question, followed up by the inevitable selling point, “Can we keep her? They said we could have her. We’ll take care of her. You won’t have to do anything.”
Shhh. I have to be careful how I handle this. Diamond’s laying on the floor outside my office door looking at me.
My wife did what I guess was the right thing. She knew that the girls had still not accepted me completely, and not as someone who had a say-so over what they could do. She also knew what the eventual outcome of this was going to be, and she knew that I had a right to be involved. She told the girls, “I’m not sure about this. You’ll have to ask Don.”
The girls really wanted that dog, and they were ready to deal with the devil to get it, so they turned to me and gave me the same pitch. I knew that while this might not be a “make or break” situation in our relationship, what I did in the next few minutes was going to color the next few years in some way. This was the first real family decision that hinged on the girls’ wants and needs, and I didn’t want to blow it.
I was also falling for the puppy and could see my wife, who refused to admit to such emotions over animals, getting a “what a cute little thing” look on her face.
To stall for a minute, I asked what her name was. “She doesn’t have one yet,” they replied. As I looked her over and petted her a little, I noticed a small star of white among the coal black fur on the back of her neck. “That looks like a diamond”, I said, and then I knew what to say next.
“Let’s call her Diamond.”
It took a second for that to seep in, but then they realized what that meant. She was going to be ours and she had a name.
She’s got a little bit of arthritis now, but she is still the champion beggar of central Texas. She is the only dog I have ever known who taught herself to play dead so that she could be “revived” with treats. We have to spell in front of her, and my wife complains because the words are getting longer and she’s having trouble catching them. The girls long ago taught Diamond to carry messages and small objects back and forth between family members. Although as she aged, she quit putting her toys away on command, she learned that she could barter for treats by picking up dropped objects such as the pieces of paper I tend to let fall around my desk. We had to stop her the day she tried to bring us the remote, however.
She is somewhat psychic and knows when we are about to go somewhere and might just take her along. When she realizes she is being left behind, she retreats to her “pouting spot” on the couch. If we are gone too long, she complains under her breath when we get back, and there is no way she can be enticed to go outside if she believes we might be bringing in people food.
She protects us diligently from all intruders including passing cars or helicopters that are a bit too loud, or kids playing a half a block away. She bravely and boldly attempts to terrify all visitors until they reach down to pet her, and the puppy of several years ago reappears, and they are friends for life…until the next time they come to the door.
The girls who were “going to take care of her”?
Oh, they live about 160 miles away. One is a new mother and has two cats and two dogs of her own, and her sister has two dogs. She recently got rid of her killer attack cat, but that’s another story. They still love Diamond, and fuss over her when we come to visit and baby-sit her when we have to travel, but somehow she has become our dog…my wife’s and mine.
I don’t regret that. I am sure that everything would have turned out all right, but I think it all started to get a little easier for us to become a family the day we added Diamond to it.
You know what? She just got up and went into the bedroom. I bet she’s going to tell my wife I’ve been talking about her. She’s long ago learned the fine art of going to Mommy if Daddy can’t be swayed.
About the author:
Donovan Baldwin is a Central Texas writer, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, a University of West Florida alumnus, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. Find plenty of information on <a href=”http://cat-and-kitten.com/“>cats</a> at <a href=”http://cat-and-kitten.com/“>http://cat-and-kitten.com/</a>.
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