arandomchic

If the UTI thing is ruled out...does Finley get to go on walks or does he get enough exercise? Just thinking because on her even walk, our girl will pee once or twice, and the mark up a storm. By the time we've finished a quick 15 minute walk around the block she is DRY. Perhaps, when Finley goes out at night, he's not really emptying his bladder...which is why he needs to go out just a couple of hours later. So if it's just a turn out, maybe a quick walk would help.

I was going to suggest maybe it's not the feeder, but the location of where you feed her. She might just feel safer and more comfortable in her bed. When Molly first came to us, she ate no problems with the raised feeder in the kitchen. Then about a month and a half in, when I'd get her meal ready she'd run to her crate and wait. And didn't want to come into the kitchen and would only eat a few bites in there before moving to her crate. Finally I caught on and once I fed her in the crate, she went back to eating with gusto. I didn't feel like it was a big deal to feed her elsewhere, as long as she eats regularly and is healthy, the location seems pretty minor.

We've been working with the pulling her down to the side and saying down when she jumps towards people. And also when walking when we see her getting really excited we make her wait until she's calm to meet them. Both together (with hot dog pieces as a reward) seem to be working. I think the hardest part is getting my husband to do EXACTLY what I do. When I'm holding the leash she's much less likely to jump. When he's holding the leash, she tries it much more often. She doesn't jump forward enough to grab paws. She's more like a bucking bronco --- back/forth/swivel. So the paw holding thing wouldn't be useful for us unfortunately.

We've gone through some of this with Molly. For not wanting to get up --- be patient. I just try to remind myself that if I were in a dead sleep and someone wanted me to get up and pee and I didn't really feel like I needed to, I'd be resistant too What we did was put the leash on her, and then gently tug upwards and say "Up!" We've used this also in the yard when she doesn't wan to come in. At the beginning, as soon as she's up we'd give her a yummy treat (she especially likes small hot dog bits or pieces of cooked chicken). Now when we need to do this, she just gets up with a "good girl" and ear scritch for reward. To go out, we unlock the door, jiggle her leash and say "Molly let's go potty!". So if we had to leash her to get her up, we'd do that, walk her to the door and still do the unlock, jiggle, lets go potty thing. Now all we have to do is jiggle the leash, say the phrase and she's usually there in a second. For statuing, we found that if we just stood next to her, letting her side rest against our leg for a minute, she almost always would be ready to move on. After a bit, we'd say "Let's go!" or "We're walking" and she'd start up most of the time. Sometimes she'd need more time to check things out and be comfortable, so we'd wait and try it again in a bit. Just remember, she's learning new rules and it takes time and patience. Finley will get it eventually. Good luck!

Glad it's working out! When we brought Molly home Miles made her she knew it was HIS house, and she has a healthy respect for him! The cats definitely rule our house, and they let Molly stay

Have you tried to desensitize him to the entire process first? Like, you'd lightly touch his foot, then give him a treat. Extend the time of the light touch, give a treat. Hold his foot, give a treat. Then touch the clipper to the toe nail, treat. Then touch all toes, treat. Etc. It's can be a slow process, but eventually he should be able to tolerate it at the very least. As for the groomers, sometimes dogs act differently with a stranger, especially if you aren't right there hovering eta - our Molly is like yours! I can do anything to her and she's unfazed. I usually take it for granted, until I'm reminded that other dogs aren't as easy going!

I second the morning walk! Some dogs are misers with their pee They dole it out little by little. A walk gets things moving and tires them out so they sleep most of the time you are gone --- dual benefits! I walk Molly 30-40 minutes every morning, and she pees immediately, walks a block then poops, then pees almost immediately again...and then also leaves pee mail along the route, usually pooping a second time before we get home. By the time we're on that last half block she's empty! eta - I also learned that when it rains out, Molly cannot be in view of the house to go potty. If we try to go out in the yard (even with her rain coat), she just looks at the house wondering why she can't go inside. If we walk a block away, she'll do her business and be ready to head home (or sometimes she wants her full walk, despite the rain.) So if it rains, you might want to try walking Orion a bit (a pain in the butt, but better than cleaning up a mess later).

Thanks Chad. We worked on it pretty consistently the last couple of months...it's almost like the excitement over certain people is too much for her. Other people she can be corrected once and do fine. Which is why we were looking for other tips. One of the things Molly does best is the "wait" command. She waits patiently at doorways, at curbs, and pretty much anytime we tell her to wait. Your mention of sit/stay makes me think maybe we could incorporate "wait" into the mix (we haven't gotten Molly to sit yet, in fact she's only sat twice on her own in the 6 months we've had her). Instead of us approaching people, I might try having her "wait" and let people approach us...and then if she gets hyperactive, walk away and try again.

Thanks for the tips so far! Sheila, have you personally or known anyone who tried that harness? It gets horrible reviews, so I was just curious. I guess I'd be more likely to try the no pull harness first because it comes so highly recommended.

Molly is similar, only she's more interested in meeting all the people, then on to the marking. She's only ran once at the dog park, and that's when a 12 year old boy ran by her and called her to chase. She doesn't zoom nearly as fast as she does in the back yard. We chalked it up to her just being more distracted by all the other scents that the running around part isn't as interesting.

We've begun working with Molly on some basics in training. And she catches on pretty quick, especially when food is involved and when she feels like it. But one area we're having trouble is teaching her to keep all four paws on the ground when we're out walking and meeting people. Certain people seem to just excite her so much she becomes a 67 pound bouncy, bucking bronco of a greyhound (with other people, she's totally mellow and the perfect greeter). She does 180s in the air. She tries to jump up on them. She tries to body slams them. It's really sporadic, but she usually more spazzy with women than men. We've tried asking the people to cross their arms, turn around and ignore her until she stops --- it works well indoors, but not outdoors. She just tries EXTRA hard to get their attention outdoors. We've tried turning around, and going the other way when she gets rambunctious until she calms down, then approaching again...so she learns she only gets to meet people when she's calm. That works sporadically. My husband puts his hand on her back, lightly presses down, and tells her no jumping, but it's pretty much completely ineffective as far as I can tell. We wondered if maybe switching her to a no-pull harness might help in this situation --- but weren't sure. Any tips or suggestions on how to get her to keep all her paws on the ground when meeting people outside?

How scary! I don't understand when people don't get control of their dogs immediately when things get out of control. Not in a pack setting, but Molly jumped on, rolled and growled at our neighbor's dog. We had her under control almost instantly, and they just stood there letting their dog come back up to Molly while she was still worked up, growling and baring teeth. They didn't react until I yelled "Get control of your dog!" I get that their dog didn't start it, but at that point I don't care who's fault it is...I am more interested in making sure the situation is managed. If you haven't, maybe consider having all participants read, agree to and sign something about the rules and responsibilities of participating in play group (which could include, "Your main focus should be on your dog. Keep chatting and conversations to a minimum during playtime, etc."). Maybe some people just don't realize they need to be doing it. It could also help to personally talk to new play group members about what's expected. Sometimes people read something and don't really remember it (or sign without reading at all).

Our girl came to us from a previous home and they had already named her Molly, but I would've probably kept her kennel name "Dreamin" or a variation of her racing name. I personally think Topper is a great name! But if you're set on changing it, I'd wait until he was home and you know his personality...I've always felt animals just sorta find their right name because of their personality.

Thanks...we'll talk to our neighbors and see if the are up to trying some of the suggestions above. If they aren't I suppose we'll just make sure they aren't out at the same time, though that's not ideal and would make for a long year.

Today our new upstairs neighbors moved in...and it turns out they also have a dog. Which is something we've never had to deal with in a shared yard. We were out in the fenced in backyard with her, and they came out with their dog, Cal. He's probably some sort of golden retriever mix and probably about 30 pounds lighter and several inches shorter than Molly. Well, Molly wasn't having any of it. They did the sniffing thing like she always does with new dogs, and then she growled, chased him and jumped on him...teeth bared. We yelled for her to stop and she did, thankfully, and we were able to slap her leash on her and get her under control nearly immediately. But the new neighbors didn't have a leash and their dog, apparently unaffected and happy as can be, kept trying to get back to Molly...tail waggin', barking, and all. My husband yelled for them to get control of their dog (the repeated "Cal come here" calls weren't working and they didn't attempt anything else...hello?!). We apologized, said we'd pop over later and yanked her from the yard as she was still baring teeth and growling at the other dog. After we left the yard, she was back to herself like nothing had happened. I realized immediately it was totally our fault. Before they even entered "her" yard --- she's had it all to herself for 4 months --- we should've stopped them, asked them to meet in the front yard which is more neutral territory with both dogs leashed. We think she was just being protective of her "turf" and didn't like this other dog coming into it like he owned it (she can also be protective of her crate and bed with the cats, never people). But I now I'm worried it could be more than that. She's happy to meet other dogs on her walks. But the interactions are usually pretty short and then she's done and moved on. It's like she's got a short attention span. However, overly playful dogs that get in her face she will growl at (which I think is pretty normal, I'd tell someone in my face to back off, too). And this dog is definitely that kind of dog from what we've seen of him so far. So we're planning on talking to our neighbors about some leashed meetings at first out front, and then hopefully eventually leashed meetings in the backyard (we never leave her unattended in the backyard, so I'm not worried about accidental meetings). And know that it may just be that she can't play with other dogs off leash in the yard (even though she has been to the dog park many times without incident). Just wondering if there are any other tips or suggestions? Should we muzzle her (even though the other dog wouldn't be? Or is that not a good idea?)? This incident has left us a little nervous...so we just want to make sure we do everything we can to prevent it from happening again.

We mix it up. One day PB, one day plain yogurt, one day lowfat cream cheese. That way it's always a surprise for her and she never gets bored. Lately we've done a mixture and so far it's her favorite! I mix some plain yogurt (we use greek because it's thicker, and it's what I eat, too) with a little Peanut Butter and add about a tablespoon of honey. Then in addition to the 1/4 of kibble, we put in some banana slices, then top with the yogurt mixture. Her second favorite is kibble with a scoop of pumpkin (I have them pre-frozen in 1tbsp scoops) followed by plain yogurt. Try smearing the nylabone in something yummy. It took Molly a bit to get used to it, but now we find her randomly chewing on it.

I wouldn't step over her. It's allowing her to dictate the rules. If you want her to move and she doesn't, maybe try shuffling your feet along the ground and walk into her and keep moving forward until she gets up and moves. When you bump her, say "move" or whatever command you want to give to it. Since you're bugging her, she'll most likely get up and move pretty quickly and give you a good stink eye in the process

If you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash. The things that jumped out at me where the human emotions/explanations you were provided regarding your dog. They don't feel human emotions like we do, and they definitely don't rationalize them (ex: I peed on my bed, I feel so guilty. Now my mom is mad, and she put me outside! Now I'm upset that she's mad at me, I think I'll bite her). Your girl was picking up on your emotions and actions (ex: your anger, your frustration, glaring at her, yelling, etc) --- and they probably scared the crap out of her, so she did what instinct told her to do.

Agrees with the others about exercise (like a long morning walk) and a Kong. Also, Molly loves paper --- especially newspaper, but magazines are fun for her too. We've just learned to dog proof as best we can. For example, she doesn't counter surf --- but anything on the coffee table is fair game. So now nothing is ever left on the coffee or side tables (including remotes)...it's always put away before we leave. ETA --- we first started using the Kong filled some kibble topped with PB, then frozen. But have since discovered she will go crazy for plain yogurt frozen (we use greek, because that's what I eat). She was happy to get the PB, but will actually get antsy when she knows I'm about to leave so she can get her yogurt kong. She'll literally keep going into her crate and looking at me like, HURRY UP!

It's true a tired dog is a happy dog, but mental stimulation is just as tiring as physical stimulation, maybe more so. So doing some quick training with him when he gets restless is a great way to "tire him out" when a walk isn't wanted. Molly is good with a 30-40 minute walk in the AM and a 15-20 minute walk in the evening. Occasionally she'll get a mid-afternoon walk of about 20 minutes as well. When it's hot or humid out, the afternoon walks go away completely. Heck, when it's hot/humid out, she'll hold her bladder as long as possible before going out *lol*

How long / far are the potty breaks? If the UTI thing checks out okay, maybe he just needs more time to go. Molly is a total pee miser --- she doles it out in increments throughout the duration of our 30-40 minute morning walk and even during our 20-30 minute evening walk. The remaining potty breaks are just out to the yard for a quick pee. She totally knows the schedule. And I swear she increases her water intake in anticipation of being able mark for miles.

I don't know actually. When I wiped out on our walk the other night (because I am a clutz), Molly was by my side licking me and making sure I was alright before my husband even noticed I was on the ground. She has growled and gotten between me and another dog that was trying to get my attention by jumping up on me, but it could've just as easily been jealousy versus protectiveness. I don't know how she'd react in a threatening situation, and honestly, I hope I never find out!

I guess it would depend on when his last potty break was for the evening. If it's 8:30pm when you go to bed, I'd say it might be difficult for him to hold it much longer than he currently is (assuming the reason he wakes you is to go out). If he's going out later than that, I would think a gradual change would work. I wonder if dogs can be early birds or night owls just like people? If so, it's also possible he's just an early riser. For us, we're up by 5:45am every morning and last potty break is around 10pm. Molly doesn't know the difference between Tuesday and Saturday, so we just keep it routine all week. Besides, if I have the opportunity to sleep in (like today when I took the day off), she always seems to wake me up 15 minutes earlier than normal. The stinker.

I think my only worry with such a small dog was that it could easily get injured during normal play. If your grey is at all bouncey or spazz-y when it plays, you might just keep in mind Chihuahua's can break bones very easily.

You mentioned you opened the shade so he could see, and later you mentioned he was scared when he saw lightning outside through a window. So first of all, I would make sure ALL the blinds/drapes are closed when a storm approaches (if you don't have them you can tack or tape a towel or blanket up). Seeing it and hearing it seem to be some of the cues that are setting him off. Keeping him confined to a smaller area, preferably with no windows helps most dogs, too. And if you can, I'd try to be near by...if he trusts you, your presence alone should help him somewhat. Will he take a yummy (high value) treat during or storm or is he too scared to eat? If he's not too scared to eat something yummy, then you'll know his fear can probably be managed with consistency in tactics. You could try giving the highest coveted treats during a storm (if he'll take them) --- like cheese, chicken, braunschweiger or hotdogs (just a few people always talk about). Maybe every time it lightnings or thunders at first. Ideally he'd start to link scary noises and storms with something super yummy. Then after a while if he calms, you can space out the giving of treats until they go away eventually altogether. If he's totally scared (too freaked to take a treat), you might want to try the melatonin (I've seen people recommend 3mg). It totally helps them relax and go to sleep. Though for our girl, it also made her have to pee more when we tried it on her. Sorry you have to go through this. We're pretty lucky with our girl, she slept right through the storms last night. And they were so bad, even our cats were freaked out and looking for comfort!