tryamartimmy

Oh yeah.... hehe. Don't mind me.....

It's so hard to give tough love, but we are seeing some success. When I get home, I completely ignore her in her play pen until she is quiet (it only took 5 minutes yesterday), then I wait a little longer before walking over and opening the pen without a word. No big happy reunions. No more getting on the couch until I say ok, and no begging. Also, I'm not sure if it's helping, but I've started on obedience training in the afternoons: 1) to assert my authority and have a positive relationship with Tahni 2) to tire her out mentally 3) so her 'us' time is positive and develops skills for her to communicate in a more appropriate way. Played til she dropped last night and then put her to bed. She didn't make a peep till she woke up again at 11. Nobody came to her aid and it only lasted 5 minutes. I think she's getting it!

haha. That's just the thing though. I cooked the cabbage.... But still the farts stink. Smelly little poo bum.....

I wonder if it's something your puppy learned from the other dogs at the kennels?

MyCatMilo- You are right about the cabbage. Yesterday, she started doing rotten little farts and I'm pretty sure it's from the cabbage. I've already decided not to go feeding her that any more! :-)

Good morning... *Yawn* Update: Sat down with my housemate last night and discussed where we want puppy to sleep when she's all grown up. Like you said, it's better if she is independant when she's sleeping, so we're leaving her to sleep in the living room. I got batteries for the snuggle puppy yesterday afternoon so she can sleep with it, and spent the rest of the night wearing an old shirt to get my smell on it. I'll pop this in the crate with her blankie and snuggle puppy tonight to see if it helps. I've also decided on a steadfast routine: 1) Gaetana goes to bed when we say- 8:30pm the playpen is closed for business, even if we're up still watching tele. If she howls, we'll ignore her. As soon as she's quiet (given she's not asleep), we'll praise her, but she won't be able to come out. 2) When we go to bed, it's lights out, snuggle puppy on and a radio (set up next to the crate) set down low. 3) Ear plugs go in for me (and housemate- I've talked her into it after a few sleepless nights) and NO GIVING IN. *** We started this last night. She sooked a bit when she was put to bed because we were up watching tele, but when she realised we weren't paying any attention, she quietened down and went to lay in her bed like a good girl. When we turned out the lights and went to bed, the howling ensued, but it was so much quieter with the plugs! Gaetana woke up several times throught the night and did her pity routine, but we ignored her and when we got up this morning, she was laying asleep in her bed like a little angel. Will do this for the rest of the week and then give you an update as to our progress. Thanks for all your help!!!

From what I was told, either is ok to give to your dog. Not sure if cooking takes away nutrients, but I'd hazard a guess and say it doesn't. I feed my puppy cooked meat as I've heard its easier to digest, but I'm going to try raw meat as she seems a little fussy with it, but will gobble down a raw chicken neck without a fuss. Sorry I can't help you more, I'm only new at dog ownership!

Thanks guys. There are some fantastic suggestions in here. I'm thinking seriously about moving the crate into her playpen in the living room and putting the plush bed she has inside of it. I've noticed that when we put her in her pen (mainly while she's eating or we're eating or can't watch her constantly with the cats) she sooks a bit, but if we keep doing what we're doing and ignore her, she usually settles down in her bed. It's only with our complete absense that she seems to panic and howl like a banshee. As to the housemate- we have to be up quite early for work and she doesn't want to miss her alarm clock going off- which is why the ear plugs aren't an option. I've offered her my ipod for bedtimes- but this isn't the part we're worried about. Its Tahni's early morning antics that tick us off because we'd much rather be sleeping than listening to music. PS- Must remember to get a battery for my snuggle puppy toy's heart. It ran down in transit...

Yep, what I'm feeding is very similar to what the breeder suggested. The kibble is the same and so are the chicken necks, but the breeder was feeding raw mince and rice and just introducing cooked meat. She told me that the pup was 'stealing' the adult dogs food (which was cooked) and so was ready. Maybe I'll try the raw mince approach. With the poos, I've actually been monitoring them closely to make sure she's ok and they're still hard, not sloppy. But there does seem to be less of them. What do you reckon that means?

Should I move her crate out into the living room with her playpen then? (Currently it's in my bedroom, but she seems to cry wherever she is).

Hi, I've had puppy for four days now and have been using a crate for her to sleep in. For the first three days, she's slept in the crate in my room. The first night, she cried and howled and sounded like she was going to have a panic attack. It took upwards of half an hour for her to settle down and sleep. She was up again not very long after and howling like she was going to die. On the second night, I put her to bed half an hour before I went and she cried for about 5 minutes and then slept. She was back up again at 2am (I woke her up so she could go to the toilet). We went to the toilet where she did poos and wees, no patting or funny business. Back to bed- she cried for about 10 minutes solid, then slept till morning when I let her out at 6. On the third night, she again went to bed before us, but took longer to settle down. She was up again at 2 for toilets, but then refused to go to sleep. She howled and howled!!! I had to eventually give in and take her out to sleep with me to get a break. I wouldn't have in any other circumstance, but I have a housemate who I also have to be considerate of and while she's tolerant, there's only so much sleep one can miss, right? Last night, I tried a different tact. I left her in her play pen in the living room. Her toilet papers are there and she's got a comfy bed and toys. She howled for 10 minutes after we went to bed, but settled ok. She was up again at 4am screaming her lungs out, so once again, for the sake of peace in the house, I gave in after fifteen minutes and took her to bed with me again. She's a chihuahua, so I know that she craves companionship, but I can't help but think she's playing it up a little. I want her to get into a routine, but I need to know some tricks to make the process smoother. Whenever she goes into the crate, she had some toys and I give her something to chew on (like a pig snout or roolami) to keep her placated, but it doesn't seem to work for long. What can I do?! (Sorry about the long post, I'm just a little frustrated!)

Hi all. I now have my new puppy and have prepared a few starter meals to try with her. 1) Mince (cooked) with pureed mushroom, celery and carrot 2) Chicken mince (cooked) with celery, cabbage, carrot and peas (all pureed) I give her one or the other for her evening meal, sometimes with a little grated cheese. I had to make a couple of batches and separate them out into ice-cube trays and freeze as these seem to be a good sized portion for such a small dog. For brekky, she gets her kibble (royal canin mini jr) mixed with some warm water to make a gravy. As I go out the door for work, she gets a half slice of roolami to chew, so she doesn't notice my going so much. For lunch, she's getting a chicken neck. Brekky and lunch seem to go down well, but dinner isn't something that seems to interest her. Has anyone got any suggestions as to what I can give that might interest her more?

He was so cute!!!

I'm glad not every dog gets hypersensitive! What kind of dog do you have?

Hahaha. Just curious as to how one would go about getting a urine sample? Got some very interesting scenarios running through my head right now! :D

LENI- Thank you. That sounds just like my little poppet, Tahni. I was a big sook last night and actually let her sleep with me from 2am onwards because her crying sounded pained.... Hope I haven't just set us back on our crate training too far! :D

That's no good!!! I gave her a little honey to boost her sugar levels last night. It seemed to really help. She was still tender, but she went back to her (almost completely untouched) dinner and scoffed it all down. She seemed ok this morning. She did her usual screaming lap around the living room with her little ball and was happily munching on half a roolami round when I left. She didn't squeek when I stroked around her shoulders, so maybe it's ok now. I'll have to check back on her at lunch just to make sure.

Just took my pup in today for her 2nd vaccination and she did really well. She's been a little lethargic though and a little tender. Not in the middle of her back, but on her sides, just on her shoulder blades. Is this a side effect or should I be worried? What side effects (if any) have other DOLers pups experienced???

Is there anything in the 12 week vaccination that my Chihuahua puppy shouldn't have? I vaguely remember someone warning owners of little dogs off of a specific treatment. Might have been Lepto, but I'm not sure. Any help would be great. She's going in for her 12 week vaccination today after work.

That's awesome Rhi!!! I'm glad you made progress. Tonight is night two for my puppy and me. I have made the decision to have Gaetana in my room to sleep as I have cats and they have the bathroom (laundry has no door) and I dont' trust them all together yet. Last night she cried like it was the end of the world for about fifteen minutes. Then she went into a fit of plaintive mewls for five, then gave up when she realised I wasn't getting out of bed to come to her. You should have seen me laying in my bed! I was stiff as a board trying not to move so she would think I was asleep and stop. She slept right through till six and only started up when my darling OH rolled over and started snoring. Tonight, I got smart and put her to bed half an hour early. She only cried for two minutes!!! Now, I just have to make it into the room and into bed in the complete dark, without waking her up. Wish me luck! :p

I've heard that wild dogs used to do this to cover up their tracks way back when. Not sure if it's true or not, but if the dog is prone to being nervous, it might contribute?

Hmmm. This sounds like a plan. Someone also suggested to me that I could get baby 'nappy free time' mats and rotate/wash them on a daily basis. Has anyone else tried this?

Does anyone feed their dogs Royal Canin??? Is it any good?

Hahah. My cats do that too. I use a squirty gun with a little vinegar mixed into the water. But I have to be sneaky and catch them unawares, or they don't associate the behaviour with the punishment.

Haha. So, mostly people just chuck them out daily then. (Silly question probably, but I'm used to cats whose litter gets chucked each weekend!) LOL. Got it! MCM: If I just leave them in the house for Gaetana while I'm away at work, then expect her to do her business outside when I am home, will this confuse her? How old is Angus and how did you train him to do it this way?