murdles

I did not know that having a puppy will be exactly like having a baby! Not that I know what having a baby is like but I’ve heard enough stories.

Chloe is going through her teething phase. She’s clingy, moody, tearing, and acting up (peeing and pooping everywhere if I don’t give her the attention she wants-and she knows very well where to do her business).

But finding her little teeth and being there to comfort her is the sweetest thing.

So it’s been a little while since I last blogged and it is nice to say I will be keeping Chloe. We have our ups and downs but when we go through the frustrating bit I do as Cesar Millan says and check myself. I often realize that it is me because I’m frustrated or anxious about something, even if it’s not anything to do with her…she often wants nothing to do with me when I’m in this state.
Tomorrow is out last day of obedience class and she’s a superstar. She’s super smart and picks things up quite quickly, but I’ve discovered she’s a fraidy cat. Anything new she completely freaks out, which I guess is normal but boy I am not looking forward to when we get our new kitchen then because EVERYTHING will be new. I’m considering getting this Thundershirt I’ve been reading about.
She’s cute as usual, although she is growing up *sniff sniff.* She’s getting longer and taller. She’s still tiny.
TIPS: when introducing a toy, rub the toy between your hands to put your scent on it, she took to it a lot faster; get her a doggie bed without a removable pillow because she pulled the pillow out and then wouldn’t sleep in the bed part due to the hard surface; get an antler for a chew toy…it lasts longer; go with the kong brand toys…they last longer.

I admit, she has her extremely cute moments. So far I’ve
been sticking to my schedule and it seems to be working. She knows
to eat on her own now (although at times I have to do chores in the
kitchen, I totally distract her), and her pees/poos are predictable
enough for me to know that I’m not crating her when she hasn’t gone
yet. I still feel stressed out because I can’t bring her anywhere
until she is cleared of this Giardia. Although the obedience class
is allowing me to bring her…thank goodness! She is better but I
still need help! My friend told me when her puppy had the puppy
crazies, she took her puppy outside to let some steam off so I did
that with Chloe and it worked like a charm. She collapsed so hard
afterwords that when I put her in the crate she didn’t even notice
or put up a fight! I had another meltdown two days ago and I have a
feeling I’ll have a few more. But I do hope it will all be worth
it.
As well, we’ve moved our tv from the basement to the main floor and it’s helping to facilitate the potty training. She had kept peeing on the carpet.

She actually ate on her own! She couldn’t even last 24 hours. Mind you I don’t think she’s eaten a whole heck of a lot because after 15 minutes she has started whining again, but it’s a start!
I just need to make sure I don’t give in. I will take her food away after 15 minutes. So she better get her chow now or she ain’t gettin’ anything until 5pm!

So after 6 days of having Chloe, I have finally decided to start a routine. I should have started it right from the beginning, but I can’t dwell on that now.
This morning I was a suck. I took her outside with the pee pad first thing in the morning and she actually peed on the pee pad OUTSIDE! A good victory. But she never pooped, she was about to on my floors and i stopped her and took her outside with no success. I decided to feed her breakfast in the bathroom but ended up being suckered into watching her eat…which took nearly 40 minutes of coaxing. Me <— sucker.
Then for the first time I actually closed her crate. I like the idea of the crate but I feel bad if she ends up soiling her crate. However, motivated by a friend and having to go to work, I decided to try it. If he ends up soiling the crate, I’ll just clean it….no biggie.
So I was worrying all morning but when I got home to check on her at lunch, she actually didn’t soil her crate and she was quiet! Okay, she did whine a bit. But not crazy.
I again took her outside and this time she peed without the pee pad! But she did pee again in the kitchen. I had taken her outside again but she didn’t go. I decided to eat lunch while she ran around the kitchen/family room but I was semi-ignoring her. She did not like it so she barked at me. I just ignored her. She needs to get used to us humans having food too. I’ve actually been neglecting my meals because I have to sit there and watch her/play with her. Me <– sucker.
Then I played a bit with her before crating her again. I brought her crate down to the kitchen because I had this thought that she would break through her door, crash through the pet gate and fall down the stairs.
When I got back after work she whined a bit but then was quite. I took her outside and I can’t remember but I think she did pee again. But no poop. So now I decided to try putting her dinner out and having her eat alone. I cannot watch her constantly with my eyes. So I left it for 30 minutes and waited until she stopped whining long enough for me to go and get her food and take it away. She only had half a kibble. I knew she was hungry because as I was putting her food away she was jumping at her food bowl.
As well she ended up pooping on my floor while I left her. That’s fine.
So then I played with her for a bit and then put her in the crate before I left to go out with the girls.
Today I signed up for Petsecure….pet insurance. Just in time too because I received a call from my vet saying Chloe had Giardia and needed to be treated with flagyl.
Great! Just as I thought I was handling things then this. I honestly think I’m being tested.

If anyone says taking care of a puppy is like taking care of a baby is so dead wrong…it’s harder.

For one they can walk and run. Babies just lie there and cry. It’s easier to confine a baby without them knowing (especially after having fed them well).

My next challenge has been for her to eat on her own. She won’t eat without me in the room so now I’m afraid I need to take up a method of taking her food away until the next scheduled meal. I’ve read this could take days. I wish I had known this before because I wouldn’t have let myself be suckered into staying. I was just worried she wouldn’t eat and would starve. I’ve also changed eating rooms so that doesn’t help. I keep changing things on her but I’ve had to readjust as I’m figuring things out. Here I thought I was an evil stepmother when in fact I’ve actually spoiled her without knowing it.

Wow, she is jealous of me being on my iPhone that she just barked at me. I am so in trouble.

Okay I’ve calmed down now and really read through my books and figured out what I’m going to do for discipline. As long as hubby and I are on the same page, we’re golden.

I just need to let all expectations go and just be consistent.

People who can’t just raise their hand in thanks after making a merge into traffic when I so obviously let you in.

So today I could finally settle a bit although Chloe is starting to act like a teenager a bit. Rebellious and too smart for her own good.

This morning she was crying for me and when I went in she had actually peed on the pad again! So I’m happy to say that my dog is finally paper/pee pad trained. I think I feel comfortable with her not doing her business all over the house. I can’t say this will be the same at some other place though.

She never pooped all morning though, until about 2pm she had a small poop. It’s harder now as opposed to soft and sticky.

I decided to take her to the vet to just meet them and get her used to being held like that. It went well…although at some point that she was trying to jump off the table, so I held her and squished her foot between my body (that was slightly leaning against the table) and the table. First yesterday’s incident and now this. I suck.

So the topic of vaccines and up, which seems to be a controversy in the news today. Chloe’s breeder goes by the philosophy that less is better for a small dog. Her argument is that a small dog should not get the same amount of vaccine than a larger dog. I agree that maybe a combination of several different vaccines shouldn’t be given in one syringe, but there is no choice at the moment. Vaccination dose is not determined by weight, antibiotics are. Vaccinations are determined by immune response so I am not sure why only a half dose okay. Like humans, if I’m going to react to the flu shot, I’m going to react to the flu shot whether I get a full dose or even a quarter dose. Currently there are no studies to say that a full dose is more harmful than a half dose and I’m not sure I can afford titers to keep checking that a half dose is effective.

So i don’t know what to think. The half dose was suggested unofficially by a “renowned” vet named Dr. Jean Dodd. Hey, I will go with it if the breeder tells me she does titers to check the half dose is effective for her dogs, how can I argue with first hand proof. But I want to protect Chloe from getting sick. I want to take her traveling and socializing with other dogs…as well as obedience classes. However, the breeder’s contract says I have to follow the suggested vaccination schedule. So I’m stuck. Unless I want to break the contact.

That brings me to another issue about breeders…its great that I have all these fall backs if I can’t handle Chloe anymore because she has been great and it’s good to know that I can return her to the breeder rather than a shelter or pet store. I just feel so tied down all of a sudden…like I can’t do what I want without having to report every little thing to her. That’s why my suggestion for those of you who decide to get a breeder is to see the contact first before you commit. I’m okay with what she wants but things like the vaccination is making me feel like I can’t protect Chloe. As well, if I move I have to inform her, what is that about?

Well anyway, after the vet I started thinking how hard it is to take her out and the crate I have is too big to carry so I decided to buy the plastic ones, which she took to quite quickly thank goodness! But it’s much lighter than the wire one and more enclosed so maybe she won’t see as much to be frightened.

I’m going to also open open up space for her to be in in the tv room, since she’s been so good and also since she’s been peeing on the pee pad. Let’s see what happens! Please no alpha complex.

So I’m starting to wean Chloe onto being alone. So I woke up at 7am and took her into the family room to have breakfast. She peed on the paper before she ate. I had to coax her a few times to eat more. But she did. Then I took her outside for a bit to run around. She’s clever though, she knows which parts are deeper so she avoids those areas so she doesn’t sink into the snow.

Then I played with her for a bit because she still hadn’t peed or pooped. I read that you should continue to play with her after she eliminates or she may end up holding it to keep you with her longer. I’m starting to suspect that is true because yesterday i would clean up and leave her to throw the pad away right after she pooped. However, since she’s eliminating on the pad in her bathroom as well, I decided to bring her up to start the weaning process.

I had left her yesterday in there while I took a shower and she kept whining. For a moment she was quiet and she was looking around. I don’t think she recognized the bathroom in daylight because she’s usually only there at night.

So I brought her up to the bathroom and played with her for a bit. She peed and pooped on the pee pad, so I stayed with her for a little while to avoid the elimination thing. I then left her in the bathroom (with a pet gate and the door open) for 10 minutes. Then I went back and played with her in the bathroom…sitting in pee as she peed on a spot (I think it was from overnight) where she peed last time and I thought I had clean enough). Then I left her for 15 minutes, then 30 minutes. I was having a meeting at home so I ended up keeping her on my lap while we were meeting. Then I kept her for another session of 30 minutes.

Then I brought her down for lunch. She ate half and still didn’t eliminate. She was a bit tired, but I took her out again for a bit and she did better this time in the snow. Then she was pooped.

So I brought her upstairs and this time left her for an hour. She’s doing better…finding her in the crate when I go upstairs and keeping quiet. However, I feel so bad. I stepped on her paw and she gave this yelp out that I never want to hear again. I am no longer going to wear slippers around her. I couldn’t feel her little paw under my foot with my slipped on.

So I took her to our tv area after an hour of leaving her (and after stepping on her foot, but I cuddled and kissed her after that happened for quite a while). And obviously she was excited and wanted to be with me, so she kept trying to jump on the couch several times (one time even flipping over). She got aggressive, so I had to firmly tell her no and had to pull her down from jumping (as she wasn’t taking the no). Then she finally settled into her dog bed as I told her “good girl.”

Unfortunately, I spoiled her today because i had her on my lap a couple of times today and she thinks she can just get on my lap anytime she wants. So now I have to break that habit because I can’t have her jumping on everyone trying to get on their lap. She can get aggressive when jumping and hurt a child or herself.

The past couple of days I had given her treats which ended up being like crack…so I have decided to not use them anymore until she can handle it and do things without treats.

And now this afternoon she keeps biting, not sure if she’s teething, I’ll have to look that one up. Or maybe she’s mad because I keep leaving her.

As well, I’m a little worried about her pooping because it takes her a really long time o pass before she poops. I really hope she poops tonight. She is peeing a lot, which is good. I’m not sure if its because i am in the process of changing her food that was provided by the breeder. The breeder had given me a mix of her old kibble with a new one. At least I’ll be taking her to the vet tomorrow.

Its been such a whirlwind of events. So on day 2 my goal was to just have her eliminate on the pee pad. She still didn’t really get it right as I found pee on the floor in the bathroom, which was cool and I just wiped it up with no reprimand. I also wanted to work on her eating because I noticed that she was only eating half of the 1/4 scoop twice a day. The breeder told me that she would eat from a large communal bowl so she wasn’t sure exactly how much she was eating. But many books have said puppies should be eating at least 3 times a day. So today she only ate twice, which for me would be great! Cause at lunch I wouldn’t have to feed her…just check on her. But since she’s already eating so little during the two meals she does eat…I’m a bit worried about that.

I found out the books were all correct in saying you have to watch them eat because they may think it’s play time and not eat. I’ve had to bring her back to the food bowl a couple of times. She’ll stop eating from it when she’s done…otherwise she will keep eating. I also had to encourage her by putting the kibble on the floor, which makes me wonder if she was eating off the floor at the breeder’s house.

Today was also about introducing her to the house so she’s not so afraid of eveything.

There’s been a lot of re-shuffling in the house to see where we should put her and where we should allow her. I have a feeling this will continue for the next couple of days. I just don’t want her to get that alpha complex I’ve been reading about.

I did take her to work (just for a visit), my dad’s house and a pet store today. She can’t handle the car ride and continually whines. But she is really good with people, which I’m glad. She does bite hands though…so I’ve been telling her “no” when she starts. I’ve been worried about her biting my little 2nd cousins’ hands, so I’ve been telling Nelson and all my friends who come over the same.

The second night was the same. She whined bit then settled.

The third day was good. We…yes we…slept a lot. I took her to my mom’s place and she actually ate her lunch! However, she didn’t poop, so i was a bit worried about that. But she ended up having a big poop after dinner.

I think a bit of jealousy came out too because now someone is interacting with me more than her. Yesterday when I was talking to people and I was in the same room, she would be okay because someone was interacting with her because even when I was in the same room she would whine.

On the ride home she was a BIT better. I had propped her up so she can see out the window. I just kept talking to her and amazingly the rife to my mom’s house was a bit better because of that.

When we got home we both took a very long and deep nap. Then I took her up to feed her dinner and she peed on the paper!!! Hallelujah!! Even after dinner she pooped on the paper! I was very happy…giving her praises as she did it.

My friends came over and she loved it but then when it came to having dinner, we didn’t allow her to where we ate so obviously she was whining. And then after dinner my friend found her on the second stair! Oy. So I had to re-think the rooms and decided we’d not have her anywhere but the family room where I blocked it off with putting my coffee table sideways.

For the night I have decided to close the door to the bathroom where I have set up her crate (keeping it open) with some pee pads and toys. I am trying to start putting her on a routine so I put her in the bathroom at 11pm with no water.