KaylasMom

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 98 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • in reply to: Terrible Breathe! #16518
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    I have a pit of unknown age (guessed to be around 2-3 years old), and she does not have any odor to her breath. Well, that is unless she just ate something stinky like salmon or tripe. But, she does NOT have a permanent odor on her breath. All her teeth are a bright white with zero plaque build-up.

    How old is your dog? If it is a really young dog (1-4 years of age), then you may have a broken/infected tooth or a mouth disease of some sort.

    The best thing you can do for your dog is brush his teeth every day. I know that is a chore, but that is part of owning a dog. Things aren’t always easy and quick. Taking 5-10 minutes out of your day to protect the mouth of your dog is worth it, unless you want to spend thousands of dollars on tooth removal, professional tooth cleanings (which involves anesthesia), blood work, blood diseases, and heart conditions due to gum disease.

    Gum disease in dogs (and humans) tends to lead to all kinds of trouble with the heart and the rest of the body. By not taking care of your dog’s mouth early on, you are shortening your dog’s life and looking to drain your bank account.

    Just putting a treatment in the water dish isn’t enough. You need to do much more than that. Look at the teeth (canines through molars). Are they any color other than white? If so, you have plaque and possibly rotten teeth. A dog with a healthy mouth should rarely ever smell. It will smell temporaroly due to something he may have just eaten or licked. If it smells all the time, you have a serious issue at hand.

    Look at the gums. What color are they? That is a sign of gum disease.

    Get your dog to the vet and have his mouth looked at! Do both you and your dog a favor by taking care of his mouth.

    in reply to: Feeding Question… #16517
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    At one year old, he should defintely be eating adult food!

    It is recommended that you feed puppy food ONLY for the first two months that you have the puppy at home and then switch to adult food. I know that sounds a bit odd, but that is just a rule of thumb, but most people feed puppy food longer than that.

    Another good “rule of thumb” is to switch to adult food when the puppy has attained 90% of his growth. This of course varies by breed and size. If you know the average size and weight of a pit bull (height 17-20 in at the withers and up to 65 pounds in weight), then you could figure it out from there. That range is usually within the 7-12 month of age. Of course, each dog grows at a different pace.

    The nutritional formulation of puppy foods (especially the extra protein and calcium) can actually cause problems in puppy development, and that is something that you don’t want, though many puppy owners are unaware of the damage that they are causing their puppies by not switching to a high quality adult food at the right times. The problem tends to be with growth of bones versus the growth of tendons, ligaments, and muscle. The growth rates are not the same for each and so the connections betwen them are strained. What this means to your dog is if the dog jumps wrong or is playing too hard, the connections can be torn, resulting in A LOT of pain and potential for numerous problems later on. This typically happens in the front shoulder and requires surgery and several months of confinement to repair. The added calcium in puppy food may also deposit on puppies’ bones causing limping.

    It is key that you slowly switch your puppy over to a HIGH QUALITY dog food. Don’t do it immediately, or you will have a gastric upset on your hands and everywhere else!

    When I say high quality food, I mean HIGH QUALITY! Do not buy the junk food in grocery stores. The foods are not meant to feed a rat, let alone a dog. The foods contain way to many by-products and fillers (grains and chemical) that can cause harm to your dog.

    Best of luck to you and the pup!

    in reply to: This is crazy #16516
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Glad to hear it! Just keep it up. Always make it a positive experience. Make her crate nothing but another toy. Feed her in theire, give her yummy snacks in there, put her favorites toys in there, even when you are home. Just have fun with it.

    Kudos to you!

    in reply to: Blood in Kennel? #16515
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Oh my! The scar could be from a number of things. It could be the result of an injury as a pup that has left a scar. It could be from an exploratory surgery where the vet had to go in and see what she may have swallowed, etc. It could also be from a surgery called a prophylactic gastropexy. A gastropexy is a type of surgery that basically “tacks” the stomach to the inner wall of the dog’s body to prevent bloat. Bloat usually occurs in deep chested, large dogs, so pitties are usually not affected. But, it can happen to any dog; just not as common in those that are not deep chested (Greyhounds) or large (Great Danes). I cannot imagine that would be what the scar is from, but there are some vets who will do it for any dog over a certain weight. If she wasn’t spayed, then I highly doubt that a gastropexy has been done.

    I hope that you are planning on having her spayed. By having her spayed, you will obviously prevent unwanted pregnancies in a breed that is already WAY overbred and prevent future medical conditions due to being intact.

    Make sure that while she is in heat, you keep a diaper or something on her. You think the blood spots are a mess now, wait until there is more blood. You don’t have a mess on your hands now. Each time that she goes into heat, it could be much worse. If she is over a year old, then this probably isn’t her first heat cycle. Plus with a diaper, if she happens to encounter an intact male, she will have a lesser change of becoming impregnated. Though because she is in heat, she may cause behaviorial issues when she is around other dogs. So keep a good eye on her and other dogs. You don’t want another dog fighting with her because she isn’t spayed.

    in reply to: Bored/Destructive When I Leave #16514
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Awesome! Crates can be our best friends, if used properly. Make sure that you continue to reinforce the crate as being a completely POSITIVE experience. Never use it for punishment. Even when you are home, make going into the crate a “fun” thing by throwing toys in there, eating yummy snacks, and other fun.

    in reply to: Potty Training tips please… #16504
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Take your puppy out as much as you can and make sure that you utilize the SAME door every time you go out, so the puppy will know which door to go to. Many dogs do not show signs of when they have to go out. I have a 2-3 year old, and she doesn’t really show a lot of signs. She will stop playing and kind of wander around. If we are sitting down, she will come up to us and just stare at us, typically tilting her head. Then we ask if she has to go potty, and then she trots over to the door. Some dogs just aren’t obvious. But since you have a puppy, you can train her. Right now, the important part is getting her used to pottying outisde and not inside.

    One way that can be successful is to tether her to you. Use a short leash, and attach it to your belt buckles, or around your waist. Or, have a leash on your wrist. This way, she is always with you, and you can begin to learn her potty signs (circling, tail up, beginning to squat, etc.). Most of the time, housetraining is an owner issue and NOT the dog (unless the dog is ill). When she shows a sign that concerns you, scoop her up and take her outside to her designated potty spot. Say “go potty” as she is wandering around outside to potty. When she goes potty, make sure you parise her and treat her RIGHT OUTSIDE! Heck, even say “good potty!!!”. Don’t wait until you get inside to praise and treat, you have to do it when the act occurs.

    By giving your puppy a potty party, it clicks in her brain that “hmmm…I go potty outside, and I get a party”. Eventually, she will figure out that going outside means treats. To this day, when my dog goes potty, I cheer and praise her. I always say “good pee” or “good poopie”. In fact, when she is pottying, she is always looking right at me, as if waiting for me to throw her a party. And gosh darn it, a potty party she gets. We have never had a mistake in the house.

    You want to set your dog up to be successful in what she does. Positive reinforcement for the good things and ignoring the bad things are what will work. Punishment doesn’t work.

    When you are taking her outside to potty, start saying “go potty” so that she associates with going out to door to mean “go potty”, and also say it as she is going. You will be happy when you can just ask her “Do you need to go potty”, and she will go to the door.

    One thing to keep in mind to is that puppies, females especially, are prone to bladder infections and urinary tract infections, which will cause them to pee more and in inappropriate places. If the peeing is inside and frequent, please go to the vet and have a urine screen done.

    in reply to: FAKE ATTACH ?!! #16503
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Do NOT utilize the crate as a punishment tool! It is meant to be a positive item, and by using it any other way could be deterimental to the dog.

    If you are expecting people over, put your dog on a leash so that YOU have control over her behavior. You want her to associate people who are coming over with a POSIVITVE thing, and not a negative thing (yelling at her and putting her in a crate). Teach the dog an alternative behavior, such as sit, when you open the door. (The dog already needs to know alternative behaviors before you attempt to utilize them.) If someone else can have her on a leash away from the door, that would be helpful too in the beginning.

    One way to start working on this is to set up fake meetings. Get some people together and have them one by one come over and go through the normal routine. Make sure they have yummy high value treats to give to Petie. When they come in the door, just have them ignore Petie, and toss some treats down in her direction (that way there is no hands close to her mouth), and walk inside. You may need to do this over and over until Petie understands that person coming over=YUMMY treats. This may take several days, weeks, and months. You just have to be patient. Once people are in and Petie has calmed down, release her, and THEN they can greet her and she can interact.

    Have the people wear different things (long coats, ball hats, sunglasses, etc.) so that Petie gets used to people looking “odd”. Always utilize treats to the best of your ability. If she isn’t food driven, then use a favorite toy. Have these items OUTSIDE the door when people come over so they are already to go.

    Each time Petie reacts less, praise and treat her like there is no tomorrow!!! She will then put two and two together. People coming over=treats=praise from my mom. She will eventaully associate people coming over as a positive thing, and that is what you want. You may need to continue doing this for the rest of her life, but you will be able to minimize how often you provide treats. She will perform in anticipation of treats.

    By yelling at her and being rough (putting her in the crate), that will only escalate the situation at hand. She will then associate people coming over with you getting angry and she will try even harder to get them to go away, which could then mean biting. This is the scenario you are heading to.

    You need to train a dog positively, or you won’t get much out of your dog. Be gentle, patient, and consistent. Those are keys. You need to be relaxed and calm. Dogs can read us better than we will ever be able to read them. If you show tension, Petie will know it, and will react accordingly. Just be as calm as you can and work through the exercises often. There may be set backs, but just know that they can and will occur. You just start back from sqaure one.

    in reply to: What is your normal routine? #16502
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Our routine goes a little something like this:

    Get up around 5am and I take Kayla out for a run/walk for about an hour. Come home, and husband has left for work already and I get ready for work. Kayla either naps or we play ball inside the house while I get ready. She may run around and play with all her toys (2 HUGE wicker baskets full) on her own.

    Around 8am, I take her out to potty one last time before I leave for work. Main TV is turned on and radio on at other end of house for some noise. She gets a few snacks as I am leaving, and then I go to work.

    Husband comes home before I do (usually) and he lets her out to potty and play. I come home, and we play more. We all eat dinner around 6pm, and from there it is whatever the evening brings. Weather depending, we all go for a run or walk, or take her rollerblading. We play ball or tag in the yard. If the weather is crummy, we will go to pet stores, just to break the boredom. We are getting a treadmill soon, so Kayla and I can run in the house and not have to worry about the weather.

    Other really bad weather days, Kayla goes to doggie daycare. Right now, temps are in the lower teens with windchills in the single digits, so there isn’t a lot of outside time. No morning walks, though we try to go for a 30-45 minute run in the evening while it is still “warm”.

    in reply to: help my dog is acting strange #16500
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    There is an underlying reason for why animals (and humans) do the things that they do. Attacking your cat “for no reason” is not accurate. There IS a reason why Tink and Smokey got into it, but it is a reason that you may not understand. Cats, dogs, and all animals communicate in a way that each other doesn’t understand. Learning dog communication, body language, and behavior is SO important when owning a dog, especially a breed that is under such scrunity as our is. You have to be on your guard at all times.

    Since we don’t live with you, it will be hard for any of us to really be able to determine what is wrong. We cannot see body language, sounds, and other factors that Tink may be showing that you may not be aware of. Obviously, Tink is reacting to some sort of stimulus in the home. Dogs just don’t change their behavior for “no reason”.

    Has Tink been to the vet for a complete check-up? Many times when dogs are feeling under the weather or are in pain for whatever reason, we cannot see it, unless there is vomitting or loose stools. The only way they can tell us is by altering their behavior. If Tink has recently had a clean bill of health (that includes CBC panels, etc.) then it may be something else in the environment.

    With behavior such as stealing objects, hiding them under the bed, and growling at anyone who walks by, that sounds like a resource guarding issue. Maybe Tink has fallen in love with certain objects and has chosen to keep them under the bed and doesn’t want ANYONE near her stash. Kind of like a cheetah who hides her catch up in a tree. That is HER stash and she will fight any other critter who comes near it.

    One thing to do is to shut the door to that room, and keep the objects that Tink wants away from her. Simple as that. If you don’t want a dog getting something, don’t allow her easy access.

    Dogs can begin resource guarding at any age. I would suggest that you get in contact with a canine behaviorist to start to work on the issue at hand before it gets out of control and something really serious happens. Resource guarding is common and many dogs battle through it. If you can start working on it now rather than later, things have a better chance at returning to normal.

    In the meantime, restrict access to the areas where Tink is becoming possessive and keep all the stuff that she likes out of her grasp. If she is “herding” you child, sometimes that herding can escalate into nipping and biting. True herding dogs nip and bite at the hooves and legs of cattle, sheep, and the such to get them where they need to go. I doubt that your dog is actually herding, unless she is a mix with a dog with a strong herding drive.

    Your dog is a terrier, and terriers have a high prey drive for ANYTHING that moves quick, and that includes children and cats. That drive may have just kicked in more than you are used to. You need to watch your 2 year old and monitor the behavior to avoid anything further than just “herding”. Kids makes noises that sometimes bothers dogs, as do other animals. Tink could have just hit a point where some environmental changes need to occur.

    This is NO reason to get rid of the dog. Dogs are not disposable. Get in contact with a trainer/behaviorist and check with your vet for any potential health issues that may be causing Tink some discomfort.

    in reply to: biting #16490
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    At 11 weeks of age, he isn’t “dominating” anyone. He is a puppy and he hasn’t been taught bite inhibition yet. If he was pulled away from his mom and siblings too soon, he has very little bite inhibition, as you are experiencing. The mom and siblings begin teaching pups all about bite inhibition at an early age.

    A lot of the things you are doing are actually reinforcing his biting. Touching him in any way shape or form is basically giving him the attention that he is trying to get from you by biting. There are ways to help teach him right from wrong, and by being rough (grabbing the muzzle and biting back) are just making the situation worse. We are not dogs, and he knows that. You need to teach him how to behave in a new language.

    I replied on another similar post a few days ago, so I will cut and paste and put below. Most of it can apply to your situation. More than likely your puppy isn’t really biting, it is just really hard play. Puppies touch and learn about their environment through their mouths, noses, ears, and eyes.

    First thing is first…you need to be patient, gentle, yet stern. Nothing will change overnight. You have some damage control to take ahold of, and that can take time. Everyone in the house has to do the SAME thing, or he will get confused and never learn. He is at a very impresonable age right now, and what you do now can affect him seriously down the road.

    Here is the posting (keep in mind it is geared towards a 15 week old puppy):

    *************
    I have never had a puppy (not a big fan of that stage in a dog’s life), but I research dog behavior in all stages.

    Puppies chew and nip everything, as it is how they learn about their world. It is completely normal. But it is important to direct the puppy to chewing appropriate items, and that doesn’t include any human body parts! At 15 weeks old, she should have already learned some bite inhibition from her siblings and mother, unless she was pulled away from them too soon. That is a chronic issue with many dogs these days.

    You need to teach the puppy appropriate play behavior. It sounds like you are on the right track with what you are doing. To teach the puppy appropriate play behavior, hard biting should elicit a painful shriek or a loud noise from the human, like a rapt “eh eh”. Just like it does with the pup’s siblings or mom, this sends the message to the pup that this behavior is unacceptable. Stop interacting with the puppy. Get up, cross your arms, and walk away, ignoring the puppy for a few. Puppies and older dogs hate to be ignored. Sometimes the worse thing that you can do to a dog (in his mind) is to ignore him when he is just trying to get your attention or play. By walking away or even just crossing your arms and turning your back to him, you have removed the “rewards” (you and the playing), and you are teaching bite inhibition. Gradually decrease the pressure of the bite you permit and add a cue before yelping to teach a signal to the dog. Ignoring the dog is kind of like a time out for humans.

    Another way is once there is biting, keep your hands very quiet and still and then redirect the puppy to other appropriate objects. Sometimes shrieking, then ignoring, and then handing the dog something appropriate to chew on is the way to go. Always have something available to transfer to her mouth. It may seem like you are rewarding, but if you do it correctly and with good timing, you are not rewarding.

    Other biting, such as on pants leg or a shoelace, can be handled by distractions such as throwing a toy or a simple clap. Remember to NOT engage the dog verbally. Just talking to the dog by saying “no” reinforces the negative behavior. You just paid attention to the dog by opening your mouth to yell at it, so you are reinforcing the behavior. Reinforce only the positive behavior.

    I know, it all seems to complicated, but it will work. I have seen it happen and I have trained it. Just take your time and be patient. Dogs are experts at reading our emotions and body language. Reinforcing unwanted behaviors is one of many mistakes we as humans make when raising dogs.

    in reply to: Gentle leaders,prong collars,harnesses what do you use? #16488
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    We use a Gentle Leader for Kayla and it has worked wonders! But, we only use it when we are going to places that she has never been to before. Otherwise, she is on a flat collar. Even though you have a “tool” to use that will help curb pulling, it still isn’t teaching the dog not to pull. The dog needs to LEARN not to pull and not just have a special collar or something to prevent it.

    Gentle Leaders are just like the head halters that horses use. If you can move a 2500 pound creature like a horse with something as simple as a head halter, you can control a dog.


    @Crystalashley627
    : The GL is to be tight against the back of the head, almost to the point that it seems to be way too tight. You should barely be able to slip one finger between the head and the strap. The strap over the muzzle should actually be pretty loose. The dog should be able to open their mouth, drink, eat, and even play ball. It shouldn’t be loose that it falls right off. You should be able to gently pull it down to the top of their planum nasle (the begining of the leathery part of their nose).

    Yes, many dogs have trouble with the GL at first, but it does take time for them to get used to it. They will paw at it, and try to take it off. Kayla will still do that from time to time, but we pair the GL up with a treat when we put it on her.

    Harnesses are ok for smaller dogs, but for bigger dogs, they just encourage pulling. The Easy Walker Harness by Premier has the leash attachment in the front, at the chest area. When the dog pulls, the dog then turns around to face you. The only problem with many harness is that it will rub the pits of our pitties due to the way the dogs are built.

    If you would like more info on how to teach a dog to not pull without the use of choke/prong, GLs, and harnesses, let me know.

    in reply to: Dog attacks–why do they continue to undermine the breed? #16484
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    EEEK! I know what all of you are talking about! As long as we have pit bulls, we will continue to get this. As hard as it is, you have to just brush it off and go about your business. You can’t act the fool in front of strangers who shy away from your dog, as that will just feed into their stereotype of pit bull owners. It is up to us on how we care for our dogs, how our children behave around dogs, and so many other things. Learning dog communication and body language is SO important when owning a dog. If more people knew that, a lot of attacks could be thwarted.

    The media is all about sensationalism. That is their job. They pick something and run with it. Pit bulls are the dog of choice right now. Year ago is was the Rotties, Dobermans, and the German Shephers. Great Danes were even on the list. You will never see a news story about small dogs and how they have hurt and killed babies. Nope. No one wants to tarnish the image of the family dog. So, let’s pick on other dogs. Join KC Dog Blog for real news stories and updates on BSL, other dog bites, and so much more. It is a valuable resource for us.

    People have a generalization of pit bull owners. They are thugs, they are this, they are that. Nope. I am a college-educated, married woman in her 30s. I live in a nice neighborhood, own my house, drive nice SUVs, and play tennis. Am I a yuppie? I guess I am if you want to call me that, and darn straight that I own a pit bull mix. I doubt that many of us on here fit the media stereotype. It is up to us to keep it that way. I admit, it does hurt when people shy away from my dog, but I just chalk it up to ignorance and too much attachment to the media, and move on.

    One thing I do to help portray a better image is to make my dog look more approachable. When we go places, she wears a bandana (we have MANY of different colors, shapes, etc. ). She even has one that is embroidered and says “My name is Kayla”. If it is cold out, she wears a cute coat and a scarf. She has pleasant collars (NO spikes or studs), and fun leashes. My brother-in-law even bought her Doggles sunglasses. But I will tell you what, people are MUCH more willing to stop, pet her, and talk to me if she looks approachable. When they ask what breed she is, I tell them that she is a pit mix, and they remark about how cute she looks. You want to portray a softer image for your dog.

    Kayla also has a dog back pack that she wears that has patches that say “Ask to pet me. I’m Friendly” and “In Training”. She is a therapy dog in training. I have noticed that it catches peoples attention and I get more smiles than anything.

    It is all about how you present yourself and how you present your dog.

    OMG. I just continue to ramble on. SO SORRY!

    in reply to: what to tell my wife #16483
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    So sorry to hear about this! But, it sounds as if the decision to get the dog wasn’t a family decision. Getting a dog needs to be a decision agreed upon by all. If your wife feels this way about the dog now, she may begin to resent the dog later on. Resentment is not the kind of energy that you want in the house. The dog will sense this. They read us better than we can ever read them. But, that is a family issue and not about the breed of dog. I may be really off kilter here, but your post just sounds like that is what happened.

    Trying to “convince” people that pits are great dogs can get to be a challenge at times. The media bias has totally impacted their thoughts in their minds, and there isn’t much out there that can dissuade them from their ideas about the breed. There are the die hard supporters and the die hard haters. You cannot change the minds of either. You cannot boast about how wonderful your dog is. You need to be able to spit out cold hard facts about the breed, its history, and its future. That is the only way to begin to change minds.

    If your wife is willing, she needs to spend a lot of time with the dog. The family should take the dog to puppy classes (should do it anyway) to work on socializing and to also get positive feedback about pits from people who work with them all the time. Puppies are always adorable, and you never hear about puppies in the news. So, you need to start now with your dog and continue on the rest of that dog’s life with training, socialization, and so much else.

    Get involved in a pit bull club or organization and show her how the breed really is. There is nothing better then getting together with many others who share the same passion about a breed of dog, and not to mention being surrounded by these wonderful dogs!

    Research, research, research. That is what my life consists of, so I thrive on it. But, your wife will learn a lot about the breed if she just sits down and looks at some of the positive pit websites out there. Pit Bull Rescue Central, BAD RAP, and Hello Bully are to name a few of the top ones out there. There is so much to learn and so much to love. Even if you have had pit bulls before, you can still learn even more. BAD RAP took in many of the Vick dogs, and there are bios and follow-ups on them. That will help your wife understand that even the worst treated fighting dogs can be just like any other dog. There will be anit-pit bull websites too, but the positive outweighs the negative.

    It isn’t the breed of dog…it is the animal at the other end of the leash. Us. As humans, we are the ones that are screwing up the dogs, and that goes for ANY breed of dog. Not to stereotype, but many with toy dogs and small dogs tend to baby their dogs and think everything that they do is cute, when in reality is is FAR from cute. If those of us with bigger dogs let them get away with what little dogs get away with, our dogs would be confiscated and destroyed at the blink of an eye. It is all about us.

    Yes, there are some dogs out there of any breed that have neurological issues, pain, and other issues that could be causing the aggression. But 99.999% of the time, it isn’t the dog. It is their humans. The humans failed the dog. The human doesn’t care for the dog as one should. The human doesn’t learn to read dog body language to prevent incidents from occuring. The human leaves the dog outside for hours on end. The human doesn’t exercise and stimulate the dog mentally. The human pyhsically punishes the dog. It all comes back to us if we don’t do our “job”.

    I wish the best for you and the family!

    in reply to: behavior #16482
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Pits are not stubborn, they are just persistent and determined. Bullheaded is another word! They may be just persistent in their own world.

    Whether you know it or not, it is possible that you are givign him mixed signals of some sort, and he is actually confused. When a dog is “confused”, they tend to shut down until something else grabs their attention.

    Your pup is still really young, so housebreaking hasn’t been completely established yet. It will take time and patience! Just don’t give up. When he pees, praise him lavishly and treat immediately after he does it. He will then get the idea, that hmm…I get a party when I pee. Some dogs do not poop and pee at the same time. My dog will pee first, and then an hour later, she needs to go out and poop. Why? Who knows. I guess she likes to save it for awhile longer. But you need to get a system figured out that will get him to poop. If that means you have to keep taking him out every 3 minutes, then by all means DO IT! He will get the picture soon, don’t worry! It is up to YOU and how you train your dog to do what you want it to do. Dogs aren’t born knowing what WE want; only what THEY want. It is up to us as their keepers to teach them the rules of the road.

    When he pees and then wanders around for awhile, bring him back inside. Tether him to you (leash through the belt loops, etc) and have him with you at all times. When you get the signals that he has to potty again, rush him back outside (don’t forget the treats!). Eventually, he will poop, and when he does…throw him one heck of a party right there on the lawn. So what if your neighbors think you have lost it. YOUR DOG DID WHAT YOU WANTED HIM TO! To this day, I STILL do that with my dog. It just reinforces that she is to potty OUTSIDE and not anywhere else. Younger dogs will tend to take to the potty party quicker than others will.

    Sometimes, a quick walk or run around the area gets the pooper working. It stimulates the colon to move and mark. If that means runnign in circles, DO IT! Whatever you can do to get him to poop is what is important. It doesn’t matter that he does it on command or not. That isn’t a big deal. It is that he does in the right spot and not in the house.

    That is great that he has learned other tricks, but pottying in the proper spot is a bit more important.

    in reply to: my lil girl #16481
    KaylasMom
    Participant

    Ah, if Nilla is scratching her ear a lot and tilting her head from side to side, then is does sound like she may have an inner ear infection or ear mites. Take her to the vet and have them look at her ears, and maybe to a ear swab and look at it under the microscope. You want to get that nipped in the bud as soon as possible to avoid any type of inner ear damage or loss of hearing.

    Can’t wait to see some pics! Glad to help.

Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 98 total)