Guilty As Charged

Someone got into a package of fruit snacks while we were out the other day. The guilty party tore through the package and consumed its entire contents. Who on earth could it have been? Andy? Pablo? Or Diego? A certain canine had wicked gas later that evening. It was bad. Like "clear the room" bad. Coincidence? I think not.

Oops, He Did it Again

Our Sunday walk started off really nice. It was bitterly cold but it was a good cold. One of those "glad to be alive" colds. We saw lots of birds: hawks, woodpeckers, cardinals, and blue herons. Andy sniffed to his heart's delight and got to pee on trees and clumps of grass. We crossed bridges; we walked up hills. We visited the local fish hatchery and watched the rainbow and golden trout swimming in their pens. It was a productive walk, one that revved up our appetites and had us ready to consume massive amounts of food at a local Indian buffet afterwards. It was a perfect walk. And then it happened.  

Andy caught us off guard for just a split second and the next thing we knew he was on his back rolling away with utter abandon. My husband tugged and pulled at the boy's harness but he absolutely refused to get up. When it was all said and done Andy, and his Thundershirt, were covered in patches of poop. Arg. It's not like this hasn't happened before but something about this incident was particularly irksome. I'm pretty sure it was because my husband and I were both starving and Andy's little bout of rolling meant we had to give him a bath once we got home, which further meant we would have to delay feeding our hunger pains. Sigh.

We drove home in poop-scented silence. We marched Andy straight to the tub. He got a thorough wash-down with some Earthbath Eucalyptus Peppermint Dog Shampoo (which I plan on reveiwing later this week). His collar, harness, Thundershirt, and the car-seat cover all went into the wash. Once the pup was dry we bi-pedal folk hightailed it to the Indian buffet. And gorged. On the bright side, Andy was just about due for a bath anyways. But why the heck does he have to roll in the feces of other animals to finally get there? And with such frequency? And so it goes...the ups and downs of adopting a shelter pup.

Thundershirt Ho!

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a thundershirt. We had to leave Andy alone last night for about 3 hours and came home to chewed up shoes and a ripped up box of kitty litter. Thankfully the pup was ok and everything was salvageable but let's just say this was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. I'm not happy about shelling out $39.99 for this thing but at least I got free shipping and embroidery. Arg. The makers of the thundershirt claim it can help with Andy's separation anxiety, travel stress, and leash issues. I'll be happy if it helps with even just one of these things. I know there's no substitute for good training but I'm willing to give this a try.

Make Up Your Mind Andy!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that we allow our pets on our bed. 1 Queen sized mattress + 2 humans + 1 dog + 2 cats = a tight fit! It's actually not that bad and the arrangement is great for cold winter nights. Seriously though...we need a bigger bed. 

Soon after we adopted Andy he discovered that being under the blanket at night can be quite cozy. He figured out fairly early on that he can paw at the top of the blanket and one of us will lift it up so he can go under. What a smart boy, right? Well...last night Andy couldn't decide if he wanted to be under or on top of the blanket. He started off under but soon squirmed his way out at the bottom, then eventually made his way back up top and pawed to be let back under. This went ON and ON all last night. I must of woke up every 30 minutes or so to the pup pawing at the top of the blanket. Of course Andy tends to direct all of the pawing in my direction and lets my husband sleep in peace. Arg. Does anyone else have this problem? I know the easy solution is to not let the dog on the bed...but we're actually happy to have him there for the most part. I've read articles both for and against this sleeping arrangement. I guess I made my bed and now I have to lie uncomfortably in it.   

Nail Clipping Nightmare

Andy is the first dog I've owned that doesn't mind having his paws touched. My dogs of yore never tolerated paw touching, much less paw holding, so this is a nice change. I was nervous the first time we clipped Andy's claws because I've never owned a dog with black claws before. Makes it impossible to see the quick! I asked my vet for tips and he recommended making an initial cut up to where the claw begins to curve, then making smaller cuts until I start to see grayish-pink, which means I'm coming up on the quick. The quick is the bundle of blood vessels and nerves that feed the claw and if cut into will bleed and give your dog pain. Talk about pressure! I found this claw clipping guide from Washington State University's Vet Med program extremely helpful.

We have to clip Andy's claws every 3 weeks or so. The first 2 or 3 times we trimmed them it was a piece of cake. My husband held him while I systematically worked my way through each claw using a pair of spring-loaded clippers. He didn't put up a fight at all. The last time we trimmed them Andy put up a little bit of resistance. This time. Huh. This time was a nightmare. He fought us tooth and nail - literally! There was squirming, writhing, scratching, growling, attempted biting...the works. In hindsight we should have stopped and continued at a later time. Unfortunately I was stubborn and wanted to get it done. We were down to the last paw, only 3 more claws to go, and Andy jerked his paw right as I was clipping. I cut into his quick. There was blood. I felt like the worst pet owner ever. Sigh. So now the pup is running around with 3 nails that still need to be trimmed and I'm dreading having to do it. I'm thinking maybe I need to get sanding bands for my Dremel so I can just grind them down and avoid sharp cutting implements altogether. I'm a wuss when it comes to pain - my own and that of others. 

About That New Routine...

The other day I mentioned Andy would be home alone for about 4 hours on Mondays and Wednesdays. The plan was that I would drop my husband off in the morning, come home, leave for class at 2 pm, pick my husband up from work after class, then we would get home by 6. At the time I wasn't sure how it would work out...well...in the photo to the right you can see that it didn't. Prior to leaving the house on Monday I took Andy on a long walk and also left him with a treat to keep him occupied. This is what we found we we got home. Andy completely rip through one of the legs of the cat scratcher. In order to do this he had to undo the thick sisal rope wrapped around the leg, then he had to tear through a pretty thick cardboard tube. He is one misbehaving, willful pup! Arg. This really needs to stop.

So even before we got home and saw the destroyed scratcher we decided to abandon our ride share plan because it was so impractical (too much time on the road and gas). The alternative plan we came up with is that I'll wait for my husband to get home from work then hightail to class. I guess for the time being this is for the best because obviously Andy just can't handle being home by himself for that long. Sigh. We never had this problem with our previous dogs so I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do. Andy needs to get used to being alone now and then and I shudder to think what he'll destroy next. I'd love to hear how other people have dealt with this sort of situation.

Ending the Weekend on a Low (Smelly) Note

Took Andy to the park this morning. It was a lovely walk until we got back to the car and I was like, "What's that smell?!?" I turned around and realized Andy had poo all over one side of him. Arg! Again! The photo above is the precise moment he covered himself in said poop - we just didn't realize what was happening at the time. After a gag inducing car ride home we marched Andy straight to the bath tub and shampooed him multiple times. On the plus side his coat is soft and he smells nice and fresh. Dirty, disgusting boy!

Hold It! | Follow-Up

Last month I wrote about the nasty habit Andy had developed of peeing before we hit the grass. This typically meant he would pee on the stairs that lead to the parking lot of our apartment building or on occasion even dribbled pee in the hallway. The pee in the hallway thing was especially obnoxious because it meant having to go back with paper towel and surface cleaner and mopping it up. I'm proud to report that it's been about a month since Andy's last incident. I'm hoping this means the verbal cues took hold and we've broken him out of the habit for good. Now he consistently pees on the grass like a good boy.

Ups and Downs

The last time Andy went to camp he came home a mellower pup - there was markedly less biting, hair pulling, and cat throwing. This improved version of Andy lasted about 2 weeks and then I suspect the boy started getting restless and he eventually reverted back to his old ways. This second stint at camp gave us a mellower pup yet again. Being around other dogs, especially more dominant ones, seems to give Andy the opportunity to learn the types of social skills we've been unsuccessful in teaching him ourselves. He learns what types of behaviors are acceptable and I imagine he's put in his place now and then by dogs that have low tolerance for his antics.

So far his post-camp interaction with us and the cats has been good. There's less jumping and no biting. In fact, Andy and I had one of those "perfect evenings" for the first time last night: we curled up on the couch together and he let me read for a good hour. Unfortunately camp does nothing to improve his behavior when we're not around. That mess you see on the right is what we came home to on Friday afternoon after running some errands. Andy destroyed the cat's cardboard scratcher, a book, several magazines, and gnawed on the handle of my old field hockey stick. Arg! We really need to do something about his separation issues. I'm not sure if this is an anxiety thing so much as a I'm bored and don't know what to do with myself thing. We've been taking him on walks if we know we're both going to be out with the hopes that he'll be tired and just take a nap but this method has been pretty hit or miss. Yesterday we left Andy with a peanut butter filled Kong and strategically hidden biscuits while we went to the grocery store and this seemed to keep him happy. Sigh. Just some of the ups and downs of living with Andy.

Puppy Projectile

I call Andy a rocket pup. My husband calls him a pupedo. Why? Because Andy loves launching himself, full speed ahead, off things and at things. This puppy projectile is highly unpredictable. Peaceful moments of silence are often broken by the sound of Andy's nails skittering on the floor as he heads towards his intended target. Sometimes he launches himself off the couch, pushing his hind legs off it in order to increase velocity and maximize impact. The cats are favored targets of rocket pup. My chest, when I'm lying on the couch, is another favored destination. When you hear pupedo launch be sure to brace yourself and take cover! Pow!  

Purse Snatcher

About 2 weeks after we adopted Andy I came home from work one night to find him happily chewing on one of my purses. The sight of shredded leather filled me with rage and I fumed at both Andy and my husband; he was after all supposed to be watching the pup. I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to clothing and accessories...but this was my favorite purse! I'm talking beautiful, brown, pebbled leather, gorgeous brushed silver hardware, playful pink stitching and cloth interior. Sigh.

OK, so I exaggerated when I said the purse was shredded - it was only one of the buckles. I was mad at Andy for about 5 minutes before it dawned on me that the whole incident was really my fault. I shouldn't have left the purse where he could get to it. I was also reminded of something that I had read recently, about how it's not right that dog owners expect more of their dogs than they would a toddler, when in reality the two have about the same level of intelligence. Sometimes I forget that Andy's a dog and will do the (naughty!) things dogs like to do. While I don't advocate letting a dog reek havoc in your household I do believe there are times we have to accept that dogs will be dogs. We need to do what we can to prevent negative behavior, but when these incidents happen, there's really no sense in getting angry. And by the way, I still carry my favorite purse.

Andy's Shoe Fetish

My husband and I have flip-flopped schedules. When he's at work, I'm at home, and vice versa. This arrangement isn't ideal because not only do we not get to spend a lot of time together during the academic year (he teaches) but Andy's gotten used to almost always having at least one of us around. When we go out together and Andy gets left behind he inevitably gets into some sort of mischief.

The latest victim of said mischief is a pair of winter boots. I'm embarrassed to admit that this is actually the 4th pair of shoes Andy's rendered unwearable. And this was after we thought we had put all the shoes in places he couldn't reach them. Sheesh! The boy doesn't seem to know what to do with himself when we're not there. How about a nice nap or patty cake with your brothers? If we know we're going to be out for more than a couple of hours we try to make sure Andy gets a nice long walk. He also has plenty of toys to keep him stimulated but obviously this isn't enough. Any suggestions?

Cat Envy

Andy thinks he's a cat. Or at least wishes he could move like one. He likes to climb things and jump off them but he completely lacks the nimbleness and grace of his feline brothers. This morning he jumped off the back of the couch and hit the coffee table on his way down. I cringed when I heard the loud thud. He limped and wouldn't put any weight on his right hind-leg immediately after and I thought to myself, "Please don't tell me he broke something." Thankfully Andy shook it off and was up-and-at-em after a couple of minutes. Reckless pup!

Hold It!

In order to get to the grass where Andy can do his "business" we have to exit the apartment, walk about 15 yards down a hall, go through 2 doors, descend a flight of stairs, and walk another 15 yards or so. Sounds like an ordeal but in reality it takes like 30 seconds. Andy's gotten into the habit of peeing on the stairs as of late. He just stops mid descent and lets loose a waterfall of piss. It doesn't happen all the time but frequently enough that it's a problem.

He goes out every 3-4 hours so it's not like we're asking him to hold his pee for an unreasonable length of time. I've tried verbal cues, telling him to "Hold it," but it doesn't always work. I don't know what the deal is...what I do know is that it sucks running into your neighbors when your pup is busy defiling the steps we all have to walk up and down everyday. I hate being "that neighbor."

Amaxophobia | Fear of Riding in Vehicles

Andy suffered from severe amaxophobia the first month he was with us. Anytime we would walk towards the car he would pull back frantically on his leader trying to get away. He would vocalize intensely, as if he were screaming, "I can't go in there! If I go in there I'll die!". It was bad. One of us would have to physically pick him up and place him in the rear portion of the car (we have a small suv). Once in the car he would immediately lay down and start panting and drooling. At the time he was riding in a crate because he was small enough we were afraid he would get tossed around.

I don't know why Andy had such a negative reaction to the car and wonder if he associated it with a past bad experience (perhaps being abandoned at the humane society?) but because he would have to ride in the car relatively frequently we knew we had to retrain him post-haste. This took some time and tweaking. 

Post-Camp Mellow Pup Follow-Up

Andy's been home from Camp Bow Wow for a week now and his post-camp attitude adjustment is still holding. Wonder if he misses his friends at camp and wishes he lived there instead of here or if the experience actually matured him a bit. He's still a feisty pup but plays a lot nicer now. Pablo and Diego are certainly not complaining now that Andy is doling out the body slams with far less frequency.

Post-Camp Mellow Pup

Andy's mellowed out a lot since getting back from camp. It's only been a couple of days but I'm really hoping it sticks. He's been a little overly enthusiastic in his play lately for my taste...with the climbing, the jumping, the biting, and the hair tugging. I've tried firmly telling him no. I've tried yelping like he's hurting me. I've tried putting him on his back in a submissive position. Heck, I've even bitten him back. He's proven to be a stubborn and willful pup. I'm hoping that being in a pack setting has taught him a little something about appropriate play and social structure. Either way...I see obedience school in Andy's future.

Turd Burgler

I came home one night and Andy greeted me with what looked like sand on his nose. Upon closer inspection I realized it wasn't sand but kitty litter...at which point it dawned on me that Andy had been snacking on cat turds while we were out. Cat turds! Coprophagia is the technical term for the eating and ingesting of feces. I call it plain disgusting. Coprophagy is fairly common and some would even say perfectly natural. In most instances it's just a nasty habit born of boredom or anxiety; though in others it an be an indicator of a nutritional deficiency.

If your pup is eating poop just for kicks you can buy supplements that will make it taste bad (apparently dogs find it very palatable otherwise). In Andy's case we just had to erect a barrier that would prevent him from having access to the litter boxes. For the first week or so he would sit on one side of the barrier literally smacking his lips while the cats were doing their business. Ew. He's since gotten over it. By the way, does any one else think of Almond Roca candies whenever they see cat turds covered in litter?

King of the Mountain

Andy prefers high vantage points. He enjoys sitting on the back of the couch so he can look out the windows of our loft. He also likes to sit on my chest, shoulders or head. I'm happy to have him look out the windows but the latter is a problem and a serious behavioral issue. I'm pretty sure it has to do with dominance and is Andy's way of attempting to literally "climb" his way up the chain of command. It's a real annoyance and I'm a bit peeved that he does this only to me and never to my husband - that's some gender bias! Haha!

We had the same issue with Maxwell but he was a smaller pup and stopped after a couple of weeks of correction. Andy is far more willful and at 30 pounds has more weight to throw around than Maxwell did. I try tell him "no" and stand up whenever he tries to do this but I'll admit I'm not always consistent. When it's really bad I'll put him on his back and try to make him submit to me but he's stubborn and always struggles. Sigh. Any suggestions? A squirt bottle? Or perhaps a helmet with horns?