The dog musing/vent thread

I took Gavroche to TWO pet stores today and he showed no fear or anxiety at all! Just happy, happy, happy with his tail going a million miles a minute

Wow, I hadn't even thought of that....but I have one coming in the mail now (along with a Dremel, I can't wait for the package to get here)!

Fortunately, today was much better. I took him to get Santa pictures taken and he was a star, the camera lady and Santa kept complimenting him on how well behaved he was compared to the other dogs that come in (he hopped up onto the seat next to Santa when I cued him to, and sat politely for the whole session). It made me realize that I'm stressing too much over this in an unproductive way. No, it's not good that he eats everything in sight and sometimes gets a nibble of questionable things, but we work on "leave it" and "drop" consistently, he's showing improvement all the time (I got him to "leave it" with some cat food recently - his favorite thing in the entire world!), and it's just something I'm going to have to make my peace with and be proactive about, considering my lease is until September. I'd rather not have to be this intense about scanning the pavement for litter, but there's not much I can do about that.

His Christmas gifts can't get here fast enough!

Today must've been take your uncommon breed to the park/store day. Weird mix of dogs out and about. A gazillion and one goldens as usual, lots of aussies as usual, some little dogs, then:

-Brittanies (don't see them often)
- Welsh Springer
- Finnish spitz (FAT)
- Italian greyhound
- Irish Wolfhound (HUGE fawn one)


I've only seen a Finnish spitz once before not at a dog show.

Shaman hit a massive fear period pretty much overnight. The coworkers (some of which he's known longer then he's known me!). Are suspicious, but strangers are out to get him. Off to go brush up on my click to calm...

I just caught Panzer sniff Teagan and then start doing the teeth chatter. EWWW I don't want my baby to grow up.

Cameron is scary-unusual not interested in treats today. No motivation on her part for clicker training. Just sleeping...

Spent the last few minutes following Cam around in the snow to check urine (no stool yet). Nothing problematic. Go inside and suddenly she's tense and growling at the cat.

Ugh why is my dog being weird?

Boy dogs are soooo gross.
Georgie is in season. Pepper is due like any day now. This is a nightmare.
I'm hoping this will be Georgie's last season and we can spay her after this.

ETA: also this is how Payton flirts... he runs up to Pepper. He lifts his head up tall, tail straight out, wagging tail. He sniffs her face. Then he playbows, then he stands up... then he starts punching her in the face.
Girls do NOT like it when you punch them in the face Payton.

My agility trainer got rats! She says we can try introducing Mia to rats again when there's no other dogs around! This makes me probably too happy, haha.

Also the puppy class after my class is on their second week. We're talking 3 ridiculously cute miniature american shepherd pups that are teeny and fluffy and omg. All tricolor too. I want one.

Fingers crossed we'll know tomorrow when Martie can get spayed. I'll kill myself if she goes into heat being around these two knuckleheads.

Aaaaand we're still vomiting. Sent bloodwork out today, please have an answer.

When I discovered this evening's pile of vomit, I also discovered that Cajun was hoovering it up. So I crated her while I cleaned it up. Then I let her out of her crate and she immediately proceeded to land a big slobbery kiss right down the middle of my face. Thanks, dog.

Mia is a butthead. I want a snuggly dog that doesn't look offended then leave when I try to cuddle. My dogs have broken snugglers.

I'm pretty sure Mia actually flipped me off right now. She was sitting up on the couch looking me right in the eyes and then she just reached out and flipped the cushion to the floor. Totally nonchalant too.

Ok ok, I'll stop trying to snuggle you!

Clearly you need a Feist relation. She's currently asleep in the crook of my arm, such a cuddle bug it's ridiculous.

Bully dogs own the monopoly on snuggles, and would happily melt into you forever and ever and never leave.

Summer really wants to be a snuggler but she is incapable of sitting still. Mia is actually really cuddly but it is on HER terms, not mine. If I try to initiate cuddling she gets pissed. Too much to do and see. I wake up in the middle of the night though with her in my arms.

I CAUGHT YOU.

My landlord has two dogs. A young black lab and an older miniature poodle. They left for CA on Saturday for a 10 day trip. They boarded their lab at my work but the poodle is too old to be accepted as a new client and is also partially blind and deaf so at the last minute they asked if we could just watch him at the house. We live in the house anyway and I have no problem watching him so I agreed.

Now in horribly regretting saying yes. This dog is driving me bat **** crazy. He literally has not stopped barking since they left. He even barks all through the night and I got no sleep last night at all. I think he is lonely because everyone is gone including the other dog.

I've tried spending some time with him upstairs where he lives and that helps some but as soon as I leave him to go back to my own animals he freaks out and off he goes for hours and hours and hours. I feel bad for him, but at the same time I'm irritated because I didn't get ANY sleep last night and have to work today.

I tried giving him rescue remedy. I bought him a bully stick and a whimzee chew to try and give him stuff to keep him busy. He is so stressed out that he doesn't care about those things. I can't bring him downstairs with us. One he pees and poops in the house so I don't want him doing that in our living space downstairs and two he tries to pick fights with my dogs and he does not handle a crate well at all so can't crate and rotate them.

I'm dying here.

Hope you find the answer! Get well, Juno vibes heading your way.

So I took Gwen (and Bena) out last night to use the 50 ft long line we got. She LOVED IT. It was pretty dark, so we went into a parking lot instead of the field and she just ran in circles for a while and growled after the ball. (We also used our new Chuck It, thanks to Oko!) I'm really glad I got the long line (and the Chuck It). She'll be able to let off steam a lot more often and we can work on recalls. I'm pretty excited

I'm buying ALL THE THINGS this Christmas. I finally got a clicker and I just order 6 dog training/behavior books. Control Unleashed and Click to Calm being a couple.

I love both of those books! (and clickers, of course!)

Hope that the long line helps you exercise the foster and maybe not hate him as much! XD