Jerilyn

I try to stop Lila from eating grass. She coughs and gags after just a couple pieces and will throw up if she eats too much. I have also learned that a blade of grass can pass unchanged through a dog’s digestive system. This causes some problem with the…um…output for the dog and causes the owner to have to chase the dog around the yard with a piece of paper towel. I think it just looks delicious to them after a long winter.

I started with Lila by luring her into a sit by holding a treat above her nose and moving it back. That didn't work completely because she would just back up or drop into a down. Using a clicker was the secret for us. It allowed me to mark the fraction of a second that only her butt was down. That in turn helped her to understand what I was asking for. I started by loading the clicker (click-treat, over and over again) the clicked and treated for something she knew already (down). The next day I added the sit. After a couple sessions she got it. As others have suggested she responded to a hand signal better than a verbal cue at first. There a lots of people here with way more clicker experience than me, but if a novice like me can use it effectively it is worth a try. Good luck!

Lila doesn't really like the gel either, but I just put it on my finger and wipe it on her teeth. It is over in a couple seconds.

Congratulations! She is beautiful.

My Lila has had two spells of being afraid to eat her food in the kitchen in the 8 months I have had here. She gets over it in about a week but I could not figure out what the issue was as she would still greet me at the door right there and go in and out with ease. This morning I solved it. As she was eating a piece of kibble flew out of her bowl and hit the cupboard then fell on the floor. And it made a noise. I guess my point is that you may never know or it could be something so small that you didn't even notice. I wish I knew what was going on in that pointy little head...

I just got some of the order free ones from there. They did not smell at all. Wouldn't have even known that Lila was eating anything.

I read something by Patricia McConnell, possibly on her blog, about a dog who was so excited by sheep droppings that she actually had the dog's owner pick them up and use them as a reward for training. Squash dog is very cute!

You're lucky to have a good dog sitter! I voted 5 in the poll, but it has been a lot more lately. Lila has recently learned that she can ask to go even if she doesn't have to go potty. It's like the boy who cried wolf, the one time I think she is just playing me she really will have to go. I don't want her to ruin her 100% perfect housebreaking record, so out we go!

I used to think Lila was whining in her bed. It was actually a squeaky yawn and sigh. I had to be watching her to see the yawn and know it was not a whine.

I was hoping for a bunch of success stories. I don't know if I will bother with the CDs. She stoped shaking and panting shortly after the fireworks stopped but she stayed in the bedroom for a couple hours. I would check on her about every 30 minutes and ask her if she wanted supper or to go outside. Finally she said yes to a trip outside and was pretty much back to normal after that. My next step might be Rescue Remedy.

Good, brave boy Zuri! I had to lift Lila in the car the first time. She screamed like I was murdering her when I went to pick up her back end. She wasn't hurting, it was just as I barely touched her. Now she is a champ at jumping in the car, but doesn't even think of getting up on anything else. The vet thought she would jump onto the exam table.

She was not reactive to thunderstorms before, but I am afraid she will be now.

Lila had a bad scare with fireworks last summer. Fortunately there have not been any in a while. However, for the past three weeks there have been neighborhood fireworks after each of Packer's wins. Lila's fear has escalated each time. She is shaking and panting in a dark bedroom right now. I try to make sure I am not reinforcing her behavior by just leaving her alone, but I feel bad for her and am worried about her. The only thing I can think of to help are desensitizing CDs. Have you used them? Did they work? Any other suggestions for me and my sweet girl? It is her 6 month gotcha day today and I hate for her to be scared.

Lila is missing an ear tip. That must take just enough weight off it so it can stand up. The other ear can't do that unless it gets an assist from the wind.

Like so many others, I was shocked and saddened to see Hector's name here. I always enjoyed your photos of him. My sympathies to you and your family, especially Throp.

I wonder if it has to do with the number of other dogs around…? In an urban setting, or where it is warm, there are more dogs out walking so the pee mail gets updated more frequently. There is always something new to sniff even on the same route. Here in the ‘burbs everyone can just let their dogs out in the yard and with the cold weather very few people walk. From one day to the next there are probably no updates. Old news is just no fun!

I am amazed every day at how good Lila is, but there is one thing...rabbit poop! I was actually glad when it got really cold again because when it was warmer bedtime potty trips were taking forever because she had to search out every rabbit turd in the yard before going potty. Some bedtime snack!

I found clickers for 38 cents in the clearance section in Pier1 Imports yesterday. They are in with the toys and have colorful bugs printed on them, but they are still clickers. They are about $3 in the pet stores around here. If you clicker train and have a store near you, it is worth checking out. I have been wanting to start clicker training with Lila and this was the motivation that I needed.

I gave Lila this chew today. It scared me because it sounded like she was chewing rocks and her teeth were breaking. She walked away from it after less than 10 minutes. That is very unusual, either it was hurting her or the sounds were scaring her too. I will call this a $10 experiment and just be glad all of her teeth are still intact.

I take Lila for a walk every day (unless the weather is frightful). I live in a suburb with the streets laid out on a pretty consistent grid pattern so there are lots of different routes we can take on our walks. I have noticed that if we go the same way two days in a row or even twice in three days Lila does not show her usual enthusiasm. She walks with her head down, no looking around, no sniffing, no peeing. If we are walking somewhere we have not been for a while she is much more enthusiastic. She walks with her head and ears up, looks around, lots of marking, and sniffs everything. I call her the postal inspector because she has to sniff every mailbox, sign post, lamp post, and tree that we come across. If we go down a “common” block to get to a more novel one her attitude changes immediately. Have you noticed similar behaviour in your dog? Or are the OK with going the same way everyday? Are you talking about me?

I am so sorry. You both fought a good fight. You can be proud of how you have cared for her.

They say that their soft treats are made in the US. Everything else comes from "multiple sources". I was planning on donating them to my local shelter (not that shelter dogs deserve to be poisoned...)

I got my coupon code today! It can not be used on shipping and that would be $7.95. I don't want to pay that so I probably won't use it. It was a legitimate offer sent to members of Dogster. I am not a member there, but a friend who is forwarded me the email.

I bought a large one for Lila on Friday. I have not given it to her yet. It was $10. The lady at the pet store said it would probably take her 3 hours to eat. I pay $5 for a large bully stick that lasts her 1 1/2 hours (2 45 minute sessions). So the price of the yak chew is comparable for me.

Lila gets a spoonful of plain, non-fat yogurt on her food. She loves it! I don't know if she gets any benefit from it, but she is less stinky. I also let her lick the lid from my flavoured ones if she is around when I am eating it.