Update On Lola

[rallyp]

Sounds like you are well on the way!

 

Just to warn you: Don't panic if she has a backsliding incident (potties in the house one day). Evaluate ("should I have taken her out again?"), remain calm, don't make massive changes unless your evaluation indicates. Things may go "two steps forward, half step back, three steps forward, half step back" for awhile.

I was just going to say the exact same thing.

 

Great to hear you're making progress!

[Guest stufts]

yes i know, thanks for reminding me though!!!

 

my question is this: two days without pooping in the house when i'm gone..after two months of doing it..

 

tomorrow is our vet appt...do i still explore the medication route with my vet? or see if this positive streak keeps up??

 

this is mentally exhausting!!!

Edited May 26, 2010 by stufts

[Guest ProudGreyMom]

My Jake and also Molly have had these issues with SA - both to a severe level.

 

My best suggestions for success:

 

- confine Lola to a gated room when you are away from her, even if its for 10 minutes. I find the kitchen works best. My two are in the kitchen gated with an extra tall pressure mounted walk-thru gate. They have the TV on, a view of the side yard, and some safe toys.

 

- be sure to get a special cleaner for dog pee and poop. It makes a HUGE difference. If something is really soiled, get rid of it if you can.

 

- reward and praise good behavior when Lola potties outside

 

- try to keep to some sort of schedule, SA dogs tend to work better with that

 

- make your comings and goings a non-event. When you leave Lola just say something like bye-bye and hand her a Kong toy or something to play with and it will be something to look forward to

 

I can't emphasize enough that Lola is gated in when left alone. Saves a lot of aggravation on your part and also less stress for Lola if she can see you out the window when you leave and then watch cars all day long waiting.

 

Good luck. Once you find the right combination of things, you will have success. A last resort of course is to speak to your vet about the SA and ask about a medication. Molly was on Clomicalm for 6 months and Jake was on it the whole time. It helped with Molly to get adjusted and learn her routine etc.

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

Yea Lola!

 

I was also going to give the one step forward speech, already done

 

I would put her on the medication, if it were me. The medication is a temporary thing, not meant to be long term. In my head, I want Tempe to go 6 months with no trouble. I'm expecting to keep her on it a year. I think that is an attainable goal for us, she's only had a few bad days in a row, in the last 5 months or so. You will be surprised how normal she seems on the meds, I think you are worried it will change her personality, and that hasn't been the case for us at all. That's just a guess on my part.

 

I'm so happy you've had two good days, and it's such a relief to know that SOMETHING will work. Finding the right combination is the hard part. You didn't mention, is she muzzled?

 

I respectfully disagree with gating her in anywhere. Tempe can be gated out of rooms, like my daughters room and the back computer room (potty areas) but I can not gate her in my bedroom, which is where all of them sleep. She attacked the gate and chewed up all the woodwork around the gate. I must mention the gate was leaning against the wall at the time, and she could have cleared it in a heartbeat. I've seen her do it. The gate was a barrier, and she did not like that at all.

 

Keep us posted, we all learn from each others successes!

[Guest stufts]

Oh my God!! Today is DAY THREE of no pooping in the house when I've left!! Holy S**T!! (no pun intended)...

 

Is it just a coincidence that I talked to the animal communicator on Saturday, and now this?? Hmmmm...interesting....

 

Trying not to get too excited, but wow!! It's pretty huge and amazing!

 

Sandy !!

[Batmom]

:) :)

[Guest happygrey]

Oh my God!! Today is DAY THREE of no pooping in the house when I've left!! Holy S**T!! (no pun intended)...

 

Is it just a coincidence that I talked to the animal communicator on Saturday, and now this?? Hmmmm...interesting....

 

Trying not to get too excited, but wow!! It's pretty huge and amazing!

 

Sandy !!

 

Oh my goodness that is awesome!! I'm so happy for you all! :colgate Maybe she just needed some time to work out her kinks.

[Guest Lgyure85]

How is her weight? Depending on which Taste of the Wild you're feeding, 1 3/4 cups x 2 = 3.5 cups per day might be a good bit more food than she needs. One of my 70-lb dogs here normally gets only @ 2.5 cups of the High Prairie formula per day unless he's doing a LOT of running.

 

 

Maddie eats about 4 cups of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Formula a day. She doesn't seem to poop excessively, and she hasn't gained much weight (she was at race weight when we got her). She only weighs about 65 lbs. but she acts as though she's starving if she gets any less! Is 4 cups too much anyway? (My Boston eats about 3 cups, but he needs to put on a bit of weight, though he hasn't gained since we got him either). We do go on 3-5 15-20 minute walks a day, and try to go to the dog park 2-3 times a week.

[Batmom]

Maddie eats about 4 cups of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Formula a day. She doesn't seem to poop excessively, and she hasn't gained much weight (she was at race weight when we got her). She only weighs about 65 lbs. but she acts as though she's starving if she gets any less! Is 4 cups too much anyway? (My Boston eats about 3 cups, but he needs to put on a bit of weight, though he hasn't gained since we got him either). We do go on 3-5 15-20 minute walks a day, and try to go to the dog park 2-3 times a week.

 

If she's doing well on it, it's probably fine. Altho if she's still gaining and doesn't need to, might want to cut back by 1/2 cup or so per day and see if she stabilizes there. Different dogs, different foods, different amounts. My two are maintaining their weight nicely and are always hungry. I know that at least one of them could get plump and still claim he is hungry ....

 

If somebody is having trouble with a dog pooping many times per day, it's always worth considering food amount, food type, dog's weight. Sometimes the recommended amounts on the bag just don't work for a particular dog, and that can add to any house-soiling problems.