8:00 am
They're not puppies now, so 8 isn't vital. But 11 would be mean and would involve them having accidents in their crates.
When you do get up: They'll need to each pee pronto. Simon holds it better, so usually it's Annie first out. (They pee in the front yard first thing in the morning, which is easy.)
Then they get breakfast, which is a scoop of kibble in a pie plate, mixed with a generous bit of canned food from the fridge (approx. a sixth of a can) and very hot water. It should look like a pudding with kibble in it.
Put a capsule of l-theanine in the food if they have been seeming nervous or agitated. Otherwise, don't bother.
About an hour after breakfast, they both go out for bathrooming.
1:00 pm dump a scoop or so of kibble in the pie plate. This keeps them from throwing up from hunger before dinner.
6:00 pm dinner (same as breakfast)
If you take them out every three hours throughout the day, they should a. go right away instead of wandering in confusion and b. not pee on the floor.
Bedtime 9:00 pm This is when they get their beloved peanut butter bones.
If Annie hasn't pooped a second time during the day, it's extremely worth your while to take your time out there with her until she does. Because she will definitely have to before morning.
If you stay up very late, it's not a bad idea to take her out one more time to pee before you go to bed. You'll get more shriek-free hours to sleep.
Adjust to fit your schedule! It's fine to change it up.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Simon -- Important
NEW INFORMATION:
Simon isn't taking medicine at the moment.
______________________________________________________________________________
Simon is difficult in some ways. The anxiety medication helps, but it's still important for you to know the signs of trouble. Anxious dogs in some ways act exactly like angry dogs, and both types have teeth. He's never bitten a person and we would like it to stay that way.
Some guidelines that will keep things extra smooth:
1. He MUST NOT be on the chairs. He starts to defend them. We have been leaving furniture on the seats. If you feel like hanging out on the chairs to play PS3 or whatever, just put him in his crate so he doesn't get confused. (It's okay for him to hang out on the back of the green chair as long as there isn't a human in the chair.)
2. Use the crate whenever you're not sure. If he seems extra crabby with Annie or extra nervous, just use the crate. He feels safe in there.
3. Always "bribe" him into the crate with a big piece of duck jerky or string cheese or the like. We don't want him to decide to argue with you about whether to go in or not. Dogs argue = teeth.
4. Not really relevant anymore.
5. Annie is a great indicator. If she is having to "deal" with him a lot, it means he's having trouble. Use crate. We would rather he have a lot of naps than have him decide he has to solve his own problems ( = teeth ). We figure he'd be crated 24-7 at the kennel place, so any free time he gets is an improvement.
6. The main symptom is growling. He mostly growls at Annie, but it can be confusing if you're nearby; you might wonder if he's growling at you. Probably NOT, but our inclination is to have him go into the crate at that point anyway. Better safe than sorry.
7. (John here.) For all the "put him in his crate" advice above, recall that it is not a punishment. The model is not, "No, bad dog, crate for you!" It's more of a happy, normal thing. "Okay! Treat? Let's go! This will be good for everyone!" I suggest giving random treats even when NOT crating. This will help avoid Simon learning that 'treat means crate' and then still giving you a hassle.
8. Glo is completely available for questions. Her numbers are home (207)929-8746 and cell (207)590-7634. She has Simon's brother and knows how these boys tick.
Simon isn't taking medicine at the moment.
______________________________________________________________________________
Simon is difficult in some ways. The anxiety medication helps, but it's still important for you to know the signs of trouble. Anxious dogs in some ways act exactly like angry dogs, and both types have teeth. He's never bitten a person and we would like it to stay that way.
Some guidelines that will keep things extra smooth:
1. He MUST NOT be on the chairs. He starts to defend them. We have been leaving furniture on the seats. If you feel like hanging out on the chairs to play PS3 or whatever, just put him in his crate so he doesn't get confused. (It's okay for him to hang out on the back of the green chair as long as there isn't a human in the chair.)
2. Use the crate whenever you're not sure. If he seems extra crabby with Annie or extra nervous, just use the crate. He feels safe in there.
3. Always "bribe" him into the crate with a big piece of duck jerky or string cheese or the like. We don't want him to decide to argue with you about whether to go in or not. Dogs argue = teeth.
4. Not really relevant anymore.
5. Annie is a great indicator. If she is having to "deal" with him a lot, it means he's having trouble. Use crate. We would rather he have a lot of naps than have him decide he has to solve his own problems ( = teeth ). We figure he'd be crated 24-7 at the kennel place, so any free time he gets is an improvement.
6. The main symptom is growling. He mostly growls at Annie, but it can be confusing if you're nearby; you might wonder if he's growling at you. Probably NOT, but our inclination is to have him go into the crate at that point anyway. Better safe than sorry.
7. (John here.) For all the "put him in his crate" advice above, recall that it is not a punishment. The model is not, "No, bad dog, crate for you!" It's more of a happy, normal thing. "Okay! Treat? Let's go! This will be good for everyone!" I suggest giving random treats even when NOT crating. This will help avoid Simon learning that 'treat means crate' and then still giving you a hassle.
8. Glo is completely available for questions. Her numbers are home (207)929-8746 and cell (207)590-7634. She has Simon's brother and knows how these boys tick.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Mealtime Detail
Ingredients. Not quite full scoop (from bin on pantry floor). One sixth of a tin. Pie plate. Fork or spoon for mixing. Hottest tap water.
Combine kibble and canned food.
Add hottest tap water. If you add too much, you can pour it off.
Partially mixed.
The final dish.
Success!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The TMI Details - Poop Patrol
Annie
Annie is persnickety and weird about pooping and peeing.
Generally:
Typical schedule:
7:30 am - pee
8:30 am - poop
11 am - pee
2 pm - pee
5 pm - poop
8 pm - pee
9 pm (sometimes) - poop
10:30 pm - pee right before bed
Obviously this varies if the feeding schedule varies, if she has thrown up or has diarrhea, etc. Call if things seem very out-of-whack.
If she gives you trouble (i.e., stubbornly not doing her business, watching birds, looking for children, stalking squirrels), just bring her back in and try again later.
If she MUST go (because you need to go out, and you KNOW she needs to) take her up the sidewalk to Flamborough, or even as far as Old Centreville, and back. She will eventually go somewhere. If you use this approach, you MUST pick up, so take a bag. (Bags are on the inside pantry door.)
Use a flashlight at night so you can tell what she has done. Her pee and poop stances look very similar in the dark :-)
Simon
Simon is much, much easier and more dependable -- just bigger and stronger. If he decides to, he can pull you right down the hill on your ass.
Generally:
Typical schedule*:
7:30 am - pee & poop (sometimes)
(8:30 am - poop)
11 am - pee & poop
2 pm - pee
5 pm - pee & poop
8 pm - pee & poop
10:30 pm - pee right before bed
*Simon is much more able to skip 'outs.' He is very dependable, unless he has an upset tummy and has diarrhea.
Simon seems to have a more direct relationship between his bowel state and his appetite. If he's not eating, very often he will resume after emptying. Likewise, if he's not pooping, having a meal will initiate.
Signals
If you have lost track of the schedule, and they really really need to go, they will tell you. Annie will run in circles by the front door*, and may paw at the door. She may also make a low throaty whine. Simon will be less obvious -- he will hang out by the front door, come back to you to check in, repeat. If he's really desperate, he may paw at the front door hinge, or the leashes.
*This is the same behavior if she wants to chase squirrels or play with children.
Where
The "retention pond" area. Watch for land mines. Soggy if it has rained. Preferred by Annie.
The "berm." Watch for land mines.
Annie is persnickety and weird about pooping and peeing.
Generally:
- she will pee immediately in front of the house, by the plantings. She only pees if the stars are aligned, the ground is not too wet or too cold, no neighbors are slamming doors, no cars are driving by, etc.
- she will poop down in the retention pond area
- she rarely both pees and poops on the same 'out.'
Typical schedule:
7:30 am - pee
8:30 am - poop
11 am - pee
2 pm - pee
5 pm - poop
8 pm - pee
9 pm (sometimes) - poop
10:30 pm - pee right before bed
Obviously this varies if the feeding schedule varies, if she has thrown up or has diarrhea, etc. Call if things seem very out-of-whack.
If she gives you trouble (i.e., stubbornly not doing her business, watching birds, looking for children, stalking squirrels), just bring her back in and try again later.
If she MUST go (because you need to go out, and you KNOW she needs to) take her up the sidewalk to Flamborough, or even as far as Old Centreville, and back. She will eventually go somewhere. If you use this approach, you MUST pick up, so take a bag. (Bags are on the inside pantry door.)
Use a flashlight at night so you can tell what she has done. Her pee and poop stances look very similar in the dark :-)
Simon
Simon is much, much easier and more dependable -- just bigger and stronger. If he decides to, he can pull you right down the hill on your ass.
Generally:
- he will pee in front of the house, or anywhere. If you take him out, he will pee, even if he just peed.
- he will poop just inside the undergrowth area near any trees. This is very convenient because it never needs to be picked up. If you take him out, he will poop, even if he just pooped.
Typical schedule*:
7:30 am - pee & poop (sometimes)
(8:30 am - poop)
11 am - pee & poop
2 pm - pee
5 pm - pee & poop
8 pm - pee & poop
10:30 pm - pee right before bed
*Simon is much more able to skip 'outs.' He is very dependable, unless he has an upset tummy and has diarrhea.
Simon seems to have a more direct relationship between his bowel state and his appetite. If he's not eating, very often he will resume after emptying. Likewise, if he's not pooping, having a meal will initiate.
Signals
If you have lost track of the schedule, and they really really need to go, they will tell you. Annie will run in circles by the front door*, and may paw at the door. She may also make a low throaty whine. Simon will be less obvious -- he will hang out by the front door, come back to you to check in, repeat. If he's really desperate, he may paw at the front door hinge, or the leashes.
*This is the same behavior if she wants to chase squirrels or play with children.
Where
The "retention pond" area. Watch for land mines. Soggy if it has rained. Preferred by Annie.
The "berm." Watch for land mines.
Bedtime Bones
They each have a large old empty marrow bone, kept in their crates during the day. At bedtime, the bones come out, and peanut butter from the DOG jar in the kitchen gets smeared into each end of each. They will usually happily run into their crates for this treat at 9:00. (It's sort of like coating the inside surface of the bone. Don't fill it.)
Neighbors
Alert! Alert!
When Annie and Simon are dashing from window to window in extreme excitement -- so much so that Simon snaps at Annie in misplaced or misdirected aggression -- it means there's a dog out there. 99% of the time it's one of two dogs:
Side note: The boy does not pick up after Ace. They go down onto the berm area, but Ace may poop anywhere between the road and the berm. Watch your step.
When Annie and Simon are dashing from window to window in extreme excitement -- so much so that Simon snaps at Annie in misplaced or misdirected aggression -- it means there's a dog out there. 99% of the time it's one of two dogs:
- Buddy, an aged white fluffy mop dog, who is usually walked by the male owner, a middle-aged Chinese-American. If Buddy is being walked by the mom, he may be off-leash. Annie and Simon like Buddy -- if they were to meet it would not be a disaster. But in general, avoid it.
- Ace (?), a young black pitbull from across the street. Usually walked by the clueless teenage boy who barely speaks English. Simon and Annie hate Ace with a white-hot hate. Do NOT take them for their 'outs' when he is around, or even right after he has been around.
Side note: The boy does not pick up after Ace. They go down onto the berm area, but Ace may poop anywhere between the road and the berm. Watch your step.
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