Bath Time

Am I pretty yet, mom?

Bath time for the pups is always fun, not. I usually try to get Jake in the sink first but he found a hiding place and Gillie was right there, so, she went first. I wanted to give them a short haircut again before it gets too cold. 

Where’s Jake? He’s not behind the sofa.

I finally found Jake behind the sofa. He didn’t growl, just sat there and became a limp noodle when I picked him up.  He does better in the bath when I don’t use the sprayer, I use a cup to get him wet.  I do have to be very quick and get him clean and rinsed asap as his tolerance is limited. After he was clean and blow dried he went into the living room and growled and barked at all the toys and pretty much took out his frustrations on them.

He was ok with his hair cut but as I cut his head last, he gave me a hard time. I had to put down the clippers and hand cut his face with scissors. It was a crude haircut but I can touch it up when he is in a better frame of mind. I am learning to go with the flow and stop when he’s had enough. My other dogs just put up with me until I was finished grooming them, not Jake.

Update, Doggie Downer Not Effective on Jake

Last Saturday we decided to take Jake to the Old Fiddler’s Picnic at Hibernia Park near West Chester, PA. Since it’s only about twenty miles away I was okay with driving him home if things got too intense for Jake. I gave him his tranquilizer about an hour before we left, like my vet suggested, and we headed off to the park. By the time we got there he was very excited and pooed three times between the car and where we were setting up!  (He was walked before we left.) I walked him around the area to get him used to the people and hopefully settle him down a bit, but no luck there. I did try to sit down and even got my fiddle out to play, but he started screaching and Tony was getting freaked out. So, I put the fiddle away and walked Jake some more and then took him to the car. On the way home he did lay down on the front seat, so I think I need to give the tranquilizer at least 2-3 hours before needed and even at that, he still gets over the top.

My vet said Jake would show his third eyelid and get groggy, never happened.  I am starting to consider an anxiety med such as Valium for a month or so. She asked me if he had separation anxiety, and he doesn’t, but he’s anxious about just about everything else, so I think it’s worth a try for a short time.

We Will Try Our First Doggie Downer Pill This Weekend

Tony and I just came home from a ten day vacation in the mountains of West Virginia without the dogs. We have been taking this trip for twenty years and although some people take dogs there, we don’t think it’s a good idea. This music festival may get up to 4,000 campers and visitors during the week and it’s just too intense for all but the very mellow dogs, of which mine aren’t.

My sitter, Jane, said she kept telling Jake and Gillie that they were going to have a big surprise on Sunday when we came back home.  My welcome-home greeting was reassuring that they missed us a lot!

The next day we had an appointment with the vet to get rabies shots and pick up some Heartguard.  After discussing Jake’s anxiety issues, our vet, Jane, recommended a tranquilizer that we can use when needed at a stressful event such as the Old Fiddler’s Picnic that we want to take the dogs to on Saturday. Since our camping fiasco with Jake on the 4th of Jul weekend, I realized that Jake would do better with one day events to start. The herbal remedies and melatonine don’t really touch on the issues. Valium was not considered as he doesn’t have separation anxiety, he just can’t cope with high levels of noise and activity for extended periods of time.  He reaches a point of saturation and then doesn’t know how to come down from that excitement.

I haven’t decided how much to give him yet. The doctor recommended 1 tablet about an hour before and then a half tab, as needed later.  I may just go with a half tablet to start, since he’s never taken them before. I even considered giving him a half tablet sometime this week to see how he reacts, I may just do that. I am also going to get some Benadryl tablets to try for times that are exciting but not too over the top.

I wish Jake could relax!

Doggies get a Vacation from us.

Too Cool!

Our big music event is coming up this week. We spend ten glorious days in the mountains of West Virginia, playing our favorite music with lots of good friends. Dogs are allowed there but, to me, it would be like taking two newborn babies camping, a full time job! Jake and Gillie will “vacation” at home with aunt Jane. They are used to long weekends with her and Gillie had the long vacation last year with Brandy and did just fine.

Since there is WIFI out in the wilderness, I will be in constant contact with civilization and my pups, if needed, and I haven’t needed it in twenty years of attending this festival.

Jake Update:

Jake wore his Thundershirt during our last bad storm, I can’t tell if it helped but he didn’t seem to mind it until it was time to take it off.  The Velcro ripping sound freaks him out, so I just try to not rip it off in one loud swipe.  He’s getting used to Velcro little by little.

Too Much, Too Soon

This gallery contains 4 photos.

Well, I’m back at home with Jake and Gillie.  We escaped late last night due to Jake being unable to cope with all the stress. I almost sent the dogs home with Tony on Friday morning when Tony went home … Continue reading →

Leash Walking, There is Hope!

Last night, during the occasional fireworks crackling on our last walk, I tried a method of training that I used in the past but just gave in too quickly. I got so tired of Jake lunging ahead of me that I must have just shut down. It was hot, I was tired and I just said “No!”. Every time Jake pulled, I stopped. I waited until the leash went slack, this took some minutes, and then we continued, only to stop again in an instant. Most of the methods I tried with him, like changing directions and jerking the leash, didn’t work with Gillie with us.  Gillie is a shopper, she likes to browse and sniff and wander. I don’t like to put many limits on her as she enjoys her walks so much and she is so different from Jake and she rarely pulls.  This method seems to be working because when Jake and I are at a stalemate, she can go and do her thing and not interfere with what we are doing. If she gets intensely stubborn, I just pick her up and carry her for a bit. Tony wondered what happed to us, it took so long to walk them.

Well, today on our walk I did the same routine right from the start. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jake would stop after pulling and in a couple seconds he would turn and look at me. At that look I would say “good boy” and the walk would continue. There was still some pulling but I finally got through his thick, little scull! Jake is not treat driven so carrying treats around for good behavior never worked for us.  He loves praise and is rewarded by what he wants to do.  So, if he wants to walk, he can’t pull on the leash!  So simple for the dog, tougher for the human.

Upcoming Holiday Weekend Thoughts

With the upcoming 4th of July festivities, I am slightly anxious about keeping Jake calm and relaxed. He has already been upset by the random bangs in our neighborhood. (There’s always someone who can’t wait to fire off a rocket.) We will be camping on a friend’s property in Maryland for four days and our dogs will be with us. Gillie is a pro at this.She went last year when Brandy was still with us and they were fine.  Gillie stays near my side even without a leash but I won’t be trusting Jake to do that.

I wish I could utilize Melatonin more. It should be used on a regular basis to build up in the system but Jake has had an upset stomach from it. I cut down to a half pill and sometimes it stays down and sometimes he throws up. I tried with a meal and between meals.  I still would like to try it for this weekend.  Maybe I’ll try a quarter of a pill.

Tryptophan biscuits are ok with him and I’ll give him one or two before an “event”.  An event would be people coming over for a visit or party, etc. Jake is not a foodie dog so sometimes he turns his nose up at a treat. I find if I throw it on the floor, he’ll eat it just so Gillie can’t get it.

I also have thoughts of taking the “Thunder Shirt” with us. I have not really put this to the test yet. I will probably take my whole arsenal of tools to try on Jake like the “Gentle Leader” head harness. I haven’t been using this on his walks recently because he really doesn’t like it, but it works and maybe in the fall I’ll try again with it.

On a step backwards for Gillie, she peed in our bed last night. She hasn’t done this for a long while and I was shocked to find wet spots.  She just can’t have water after her last walk of the day, no matter how hot it is outside.Gillie came from a puppy mill type breeder known as “back yard” breeder.  The only difference between back yard and puppymill is that back yard breeders give the dog some personal contact.  They still live in outdoor pens, all year, and have concrete under their feet. Food is pretty much slop, no toys or things to chew on, no socialization, I could go on and on.  Things we take for granted are denied for these poor dogs. When we first got Gillie and went for a walk it was late summer and everytime a leaf would blow past, Gillie would run after it like it was the greatest toy ever.  I think that was the extent of her toys when in the kennel.  She now has an arsenal of toys to play with and she sure does!

Anyway, about the peeing. I was advised when we were potty training to keep Gillie very clean and take her out often.  It’s been two years for Gillie and she has improved a lot.  I was told that she may never be housebroken, and she still will pee in the house when she get excited from playing indoors. I have to watch her body language as it is very subtle. We have not used the diapers in a long while, but I may start using them overnight. I hate pee in my bed!!!

Every dog is different.

I have owned and loved Yorkshire terriers for over 23 years and I wouldn’t be without one. It all started long ago when I was obsessed with getting a small companion dog.  Since I am allergic to most dogs, I looked into Poodles, Shitzus, Maltese, and Yorkies. One day, while at work in an airfreight cargo facility, I got to talking with a woman who was shipping a Yorkshire terrier to a new home.  She was a local breeder and we talked some about the breed.  I was very interested and got her phone number and location. To make a long story short, I got my first dog from her. Fanny was brought to the USA as a puppy by this breeder.  She actually flew on my airline, TWA, from London.  She was very small, around 4.5 lbs, and very timid.  It was love at first sight!  She was six years old when I got her and pregnant! The puppy died at birth and it was very traumatic for me and her. I knew that she was way too small to have a puppy and her life was endangered by allowing this to happen.  This made me a firm believer in spaying and neutering dogs.  I would have loved to have had her puppy, but it was not to be. 

We had Fanny for around six months and I thought she needed a pal to keep her company while I was a work. That’s when I found Eubie through a Yorkie breeder.  He was six years old, not neutered and being tormented by a toddler in the family.  He was completely wild and untrained, marked everywhere and seemed to be hyperactive. I couldn’t leave him with that family as they kept him in a box with a lid!  We took him home and started trying to get him to settle down by first getting him neutered. Eubie was such a big project that I swore I’d never get another male dog, famous last words.

Now we had 2 dogs and they were both around the same age. My husband saw an ad in the local paper for an eight month old Yorkie puppy and asked if I wanted to go see her. Another situation that happens far too often. A college student got the puppy for Christmas and took her to school with her. Brandy was spoiled rotten by constant attention from all the college girls. The next semester, the student couldn’t take Brandy to school with her and her mother was NOT going to keep her. My little wild Brandy came home with us that day.  She turned out to be the ruler of our house and we had her wonderful company for 15 years. Brandy had actually known all the dogs I’ve ever had.  She and Eubie were great friends, he thought she was really cool. Fanny, on the other hand, hated her. Fanny was getting old and hard of hearing, so it was easy for me to sneak up on her and watch her interact with Brandy.  The three dogs slept in the kitchen. Eubie and Fanny in their beds and Brandy in a kennel.  I crept in one morning to see Fanny barking at Brandy in the kennel.  Her bark was high pitched and squeaky and her little feet left the ground as she gave it her all.  As soon as she noticed me, she stopped barking and went back to her bed.  oops.

We lost Eubie at 17 years old, kidney failure, and Fanny died a month later at the age of 15 of the same ailment, so, we just had Brandy, alone, for about six months.

I was hard going from three dogs to one, so I looked online for an adult female that I could adopt. It didn’t take long until I found Chelsea.  She came from a breeder in the DC area. She had been making puppies and was also a personal pet of the breeder.  She slept in their bed, under the covers, between them. After a tearful goodby, I took her home and she just took over the house.  She became alpha, which Brandy wasn’t interested in, and became my constant companion.  Chelsea and Brandy were never pals; more like Chelsea was the boss and Brandy did her best to manipulate her.  I always said that Chelsea was the beauty and Brandy was the brains.

When there was a knock at the door, Chelsea, being alpha, insisted on being the first dog to the door. She would reprimand Brandy if Brandy got there first.  She also got which ever toy she wanted. Brandy was a player and didn’t like sharing her toys. So, one day I sat back and watched Brandy hatch a plan to get a toy from Chelsea. Brandy started barking as if there was someone at the door.  Chelsea, chewing on a toy that Brandy wanted, dropped the toy and ran for the door to see who was there.  Brandy then, calmly, went over and picked up the toy and walked away with it. My mouth was hanging open. Brandy lied to Chelsea to get her to drop the toy! She managed to pull this same stunt on Chelsea a time or two more;  I said Chelsea was the pretty one.  After that she caught on and took the toy with her to the door, she didn’t want to miss out if there really was someone at the door!

We lost our dear Chelsea to a brain tumor and then we still had Brandy.  We thought we might just keep one dog, but it was too quiet and Brandy was getting older and we thought maybe another female would be fun.  Along came Gillie, pronounce the G as in George. Poor Gillie was taken in by a local rescue and in very bad shape.  She was used as a puppy maker for a “backyard breeder”, another name for a puppy mill.  She was lame, had rotten teeth, abcess infections on her back from being burned on a heating pad at the vet where she got her spaying done, and was very, very skinny. I fell for her at once and took her home and to my vet asap.  We had her few teeth cleaned again but couldn’t get rid of the abcess smell in her mouth. I ended up taking her to a dental specialist and after two operations, removed all her teeth. Finally she was pain free and her true personality came out.  She loves to play and ball is her game. Even with no teeth, she and Brandy played tug of war!  She put on 2.5 lbs and even started walking on her lame foot.  She is so happy now, we call her Silly Gillie.

Brandy was going on 15 years old now and I didn’t want Gillie to be alone as she still was very shy and Brandy didn’t want to play as rough as Gillie wanted to.  I scoured the rescue sight’s available dogs and one day I saw Jake. I sent an email immediately to the foster mom and called another foster mom in the same organization to tell her that this might be Gillie’s new playmate.

Another long story, short, we brought Jake home and the games began! He was two years old and in that time had been in 6 homes; we were the seventh! I have been concentrating on him unlike any other of my dogs because I am retired now and can take the time to help him.

We lost Brandy in February of 2012 and we really miss her. She passed away at home, in my arms, with Gillie and Jake at her side.

Gillie and Jake are like littermates, I couldn’t have picked a better companion for Gillie. Jake has done so much for Gillie’s confidence. I still keep in touch with Jake’s previous foster moms, as we are still dealing with behavior issues. They are always interested in what methods I come up with to steady my little nutcase.