Saturday, February 28, 2009

Update on colonoscopy day

This proved to be a bit of a challenge. The test itself went as scheduled, with no real adverse results. But if you’ve ever had one of these tests, you will know that it’s not the test itself that’s the issue, (as long as you have a general anesthetic, that is), but the preparation the day before that leaves you reeling. You really know what it’s like to feel cleaned out inside after that! This time, the prep included mixing a stool softener with 64 oz of lemon-lime Gatorade (or G, as it is now known). And after drinking all of that, I don’t think I will ever take another drink of G again! I wasn’t sure which end it was going to come out of! Just horrendous.

But the issue is really how did we make it with the pups after we got home. First of all, I should say that the staff at this GI clinic couldn’t get me awake and dressed and off of their stretcher fast enough. One minute I hear them calling my name, the next thing I know, they are telling me to get dressed and out of there and that I am good to go. Well, even Jim knew that I wasn’t awake enough to go, but took me out anyway (given no real choice in the matter). I felt gassy and crampy, as they warned me I would, and just wanted to get home to lie down with easy access to the bathroom.

It was about 10:30 a.m. when we got home, and the pups had been in their crates since about 6:30 a.m. They were ready for action, but I was ready for rest, and Jim was ready for work. He decided to stay home with me til noon or so, but announced he had a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Well, this meant that instead of rest, I had puppy duty. I tried to sit quietly in the living room with the pups, and all I remember is that I had to wipe up 2 or even 3 pees. I had taken them out a couple of times, too, but I think Will just wanted to get my attention, and pee it was. The pee machine is back in action. He hasn’t been too bad, but this morning he was out to get me. I think they know when you are stressed, and it stressed them too. I was almost glad when Jim had lunch and went to the office, so I could put the puppies in their crates again and get some much needed rest. By about mid-afternoon, after some lunch, some quiet time and finally a coffee, I felt human again and ready to take on the challenge of two puppies.

Walking the Farmington River trail

We are finally done our house confinement after the puppy surgeries! It’s back to daily walking for them and for us (or at least me). But it’s also back to stage 1, I think, on learning good manners on the leash. Seems like they’ve forgotten everything they learned about walking nicely without pulling. Or maybe it’s just that everything is new to them again. New smells, new leaves blowing in the wind, new sounds, new everything.

In my passion to try all things new (it’s me too, I guess) we took a short drive to Collinsville to walk along the Farmington River trail. We had never been there to walk or ride our bikes, although it has been on our list of places to visit. It’s a great trail for the wet spring (although we are definitely not there yet!). There are paved walking trails all along, wide enough for bikes and walkers as well. It’s a nicely wooded trail, following alongside the Farmington River, which moves quite quickly at times. It’s a place that kayakers like to put in and we could see why they would like that part of the river. Nice rapids, but nice smooth flowing river at times. We walked a little over a half mile this time, since Will and Emma are still recovering from the surgery, and we didn’t want to push it. Also, there were lots of icy patches along the trail and it wasn’t all that easy to walk safely. We were slipping all over, and had to go wide to pass at times. It was a good first outing for all of us.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Emma
Will
This has been a busy week! Will and Emma have had their post-op check-up and they are both doing quite well. Stitches are healing well. I guess our hard work has paid off - it’s been a challenge to keep them relatively quiet and away from each other for the week (still one more day to go). We are now letting them play a little bit together, but trying not to let it get out of hand. They love to chase each other around the house, so I am trying my best to keep them in the family room, which is a smaller space. They just don’t know that they should slow down!

They also had a booster of their immunization, and since we live in New England where there is a high incidence of lyme disease, they also had the first immunization for that. This time, there was no vomitting afterwards. But Dr. Goldman did say that it is common with the lepto vaccine booster that vomitting occurs (which is what happened about a month ago). Up came the deworming medication, which meant that had to be redone in Emma (but not Will, funny enough). Apparently roundworm is quite common in puppies under three months. They get it from their mothers, usually. Who knew?

One good thing about recovering from the surgery: Will is getting better about his house training. Bit by bit. Since he is in his crate more now, he is not peeing all over like he was before. Still a long way to go, but there is some improvement. It also helps that we have put the divider in his crate and he doesn't go in there either.

Just a little aside: tomorrow should be a challenge. I am having a colonoscopy in the morning and will be under general anesthetic for it (the only way to do it!). Last time I had this done, I was pretty out of it for a good part of the day. I am not sure how I will feel about taking care of two puppies after if it's the same as last time. This should be interesting. I will let you know. I can only hope that I feel back to normal quickly!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Update on post-surgery status

The puppies were neutered and spayed on Tuesday and went through the surgery quite well. We had strict post-op instructions to keep them quiet, with only 5 minutes outdoor bathroom times, no walks and no playtimes together for ten days. They have had their pain medication daily, which we’ve given them for the past five days, even though they don’t seem to have pain.

They seem to have their usual energy level, and it is quite difficult to keep them from playing with each other when they are together. We've been pretty good at keeping them in separate places. When they are in the same room, we have them lie down with or without a chew toy, and this seems to help them focus on something else rather than on each other. We are actually using their crates to keep them confined and less active, and to prevent them from wanting to jump up like they do when they are in their playpens.

It’s actually Emma that still jumps up on us although we are trying to break her of this. It is a long process, and perhaps we need to try something else. The method we’ve been using is to ignore her, walk out of the room, or stand with our arms crossed not looking at her until she sits. Then we praise her for settling down. The problem is, she still goes through the stage of jumping up, we go through the ignoring routine and then we get the behaviour we want. We’re not sure how long this will take to just get to the desired behaviour without the rest of the routine! Hopefully not too much longer.

Anyway, they seem to be healing quite well from their surgery and we have a post-op check-up on Tuesday to make sure all is well. They will receive another booster (DHVP) as well at that
time.
Puppy Kindergarten graduation

Leash-walking with the group

Emma meets Karen, the trainer (Look! no jumping!)

Emma gets her certificate!

A bit of after-class play

With all this excitement going on, it seems like their graduation from Puppy Kindergarten went unnoticed. The last class was Monday evening (the day before their surgery). They both passed with flying colors! Both Will and Emma performed the entire list of requirements and are now ‘AKC Star Puppies’. The key thing is that they get socialized with other puppies and people and learn some basic good manners. They still need to continue practicing their good manners, and general good behavior, and Emma especially needs to learn how to greet people without jumping up on them. She is a little acrobat and loves to show what she can do! But this is not good when it comes to meeting people or even with us. I’ve had more than one bloody lip caused by her leaping up at my face! It seems that one cut just heals and I get another one. Not a pretty sight.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009


Cooperation: they both get a treat when they return with the toy!



Just a little playtime: things will have to be quiet for a few days


To Chip or Not to Chip

That is the question we were asked this morning when we took our babies in to be neutered and spayed. These days, puppies are neutered anytime after 14 weeks, and they say the earlier the better it is for the puppy. Primarily, there is a lower risk of cancers related to reproductive organs if they are done at an earlier age. They also heal more quickly, and the surgery is easier on them because the reproductive organs are much smaller and less developed at this age. So, here they are at 16.5 weeks of age and they are having their surgeries.

Back to the chip or not to chip question. We were asked if we wanted to have them microchipped while they were in for surgery anyway (for an extra $60 plus an annual fee of $14 to the microchip service). When I got home, I did a bit of online research and discovered that there is an incidence of tumor at the site of the microchip in lab animals and in dogs, and that based on a review of these studies it is recommended that microchip use be reassessed http://www.antichips.com/cancer/. Also, the microchip gives off an electro-magnetic wave that I’m sure cannot be good for dogs or humans for that matter.

The other thing is that border collies are pretty good at staying close to home. By nature, they like to be close to their people, and don't seem to wander off their property. The only worry would occur if they were taken from us. If that ever happened, we would have to find the dogs to check for the microchip. An unlikely scenario.

So, needless to say, we are not going to have them microchipped today.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Housetraining problems

OK, I guess I've finally realized that I have to change the way I'm trying to housetrain Will. He's become a pee-machine in the house, and it's got to stop. Emma has really been pretty well trained for weeks now. She does still have the odd accident, but at least it's where it is supposed to be, on paper, and only in Will's area, which to me seems like she's marking.

With Will, it's a totally different story. He pees in the morning on his paper, even if we wake up as soon as we hear him to let him out. There's been a couple of mornings when the paper is dry, but that is it. He pees near the gate of the family room, he pees in the middle of the room, he pees near the door to the garage, he even pees in his crate. We're trying to get him to jingle the bells on the gate when he wants to go, but he only seems to do that if he wants out of the room to see Emma or someone else. He pees every half hour, or so it seems. We are totally frustrated.

So, I've finally realized that I need to keep him crated at almost all times. If I can't give him 100% attention, then he's going to be in his crate. I think the problem is that I have been letting the two pups play outside their crates too often, and it's frustrating me because I can't get anything done, and because even if I let Will out every half hour, he still pees inside. I try to work at the computer, to work in the kitchen, or even to be on the phone when they are out of their crates. I now realize they are just not ready for this, or at least Will isn't. So back in the crate for some serious crate training. It seems to be the only way to combat this problem from the websites I've visited. It is definitely worth giving a try.

This is a difficult problem to solve, but we are up for it! Patience, perseverance and a little love won't hurt.

By the way, the one and only website that I found that had more info on solving problems was this one: http://www.foxvalleypets.org/dogs/?details=16&page=264 This looks like a rescue shelter in Wisconsin and they do a really good job on the information on their website. All other sites had basic housetraining information, but not how to solve problems. Not all dogs are text-book cases, so it does help to have some extra tips!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Walk on the beach at Hammanassett State Park
Happy pups after a walk at the beach

Winter walk on the beach

Another weekend, another new adventure for the puppies! Today was just a beautiful, sunny winter day, so we took the drive to the shore to take a nice walk along the beach. It’s just over an hour drive from our house in the Hartford area to the shore, and it was the perfect day to do it. We discovered that a lot of other people thought the same thing. The parking lot at Hammanassett Beach was surprisingly full for a mid-February day. Cabin-fever has hit a lot of New Englanders, I think.
Will watching waves!

Will and Emma took to the sand and just loved it. Walking on the sand is much softer on the feet, and they were excited to sniff all the sea leaves and shells and sand that they came across. The water was not of much interest at first, but then when the tide seemed to bring the waves up just a little higher, Will took more notice and wanted to bite the waves as they rolled in. It reminded us of how Tobie loved to run along and ‘herd’ the waves as they rolled on shore. Even when there was nothing more than a ripple, she would watch and wait until the water moved. One of her favorite things to do was to run along the shore, back and forth, chasing the waves.
The puppies got to meet lots of new dogs and new people. They really are friendly puppies, and most people who have dogs don’t mind meeting new puppies, or letting their dogs meet and greet (which means sniffing out each other!) It was fun for them, they met all sizes of dogs from the littlest fluffy dog to the biggest Bernese Mountain dog and lots in between. Nothing seemed to phase them.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Me with Emma and Will, at Stratton Brook Park
Puppies play, puppies chew, puppies love to learn new things. Sometimes I wish puppies would sleep a little more so I could get some things done!



Puppy growth
They are growing like weeds and as you can see from the photo, we need to get a new bed! This is Tobie's bed and they used to be able to share it, but even in a couple of short weeks, they have outgrown it. Time to find a new one for Emma, since Will seems to have taken this one over. We are letting them stay out of their crates for periods of time now, when we are in the room, and this is a good place for them to lay. We have them lie down on the bed, for instance, while we are eating. This is good practice staying in one place.







Emma and Will love to chew their chewbones, especially after they eat the peanut butter out of the inside.





Training progresses
Last week, Jim was away for business and I was determined to continue training and practicing with the two pups. It is always easier if we each take one and practice individually, but that was impossible. I began working with the two pups together, doing sits, downs, down-stay, sit-stay, stands, and even taught them both to shake-a-paw. It is so cute to see them both go in unison.
I also taught them to 'wait' at the gate, the door and at the top or bottom of the stairs while I walked up or down. They are getting bigger and it is more dangerous to have them bounding down the stairs together with me, so it seems a lot safer if they wait for me to do the trip, then I invite them to follow when I'm safely in place. This was a tip from Rosemary, and I'm thankful she mentioned it!
I started to teach them to do the high-five this morning. It will take a little while to get this, (they looked pretty confused) but they will do it! I also put them in the empty bath tub this morning, to see what they would think. I read that it's a good idea to get them used to the tub so they are familiar with it and not scared when the time comes to have a real bath. Emma didn't seem to mind, and wanted to play with the drain, the faucet and anything else that wasn't smooth surface! Will, on the other hand, didn't like it at all, and jumped out only to watch Emma's antics. As usual, Emma is the brave one and willing to try new things, while Will is more cautious. He usually follows her lead. Next time, I'll try him alone and maybe sit down with him in there with a toy.

Sunday, February 8, 2009
















Old Farms snowman

Puppy socialization

According to Dr. Ian Dunbar, a puppy training researcher and innovator, puppies should be introduced to at least 100 people before they are 3 months old. Well, that has passed already, but we are trying to make sure the pups meet new people as often as we can. They are actually quite friendly, and enjoy meeting new men, women and children. They do not seem to be afraid with new people, and quite like meeting new dogs as well. At the puppy class, they see about eight or ten puppies and people each week, and while they sometimes like to just observe the other pups, they don’t seem to be afraid of them.
Today we took another nice walk at Old Farms Golf Course. We all love the openness of the area, and the freedom to meander across the snow-covered links. It won’t quite be the same when the snow melts, as it soon will, but for now we are enjoying every walk we can get. We met a snow-shoeing couple with a big Golden retriever named Ted today. Will and Emma were pretty excited to meet the people, and love to get a pet. Emma, as usual, jumps up to bump the face and we really have to work hard on keeping her from doing that. We have her sit before she gets attention, but it’s hard to tell new people to ignore such a cute puppy until she sits still. Will is better at settling down, but he is not perfect either. Anyway, they were happy to meet the big Golden, but much more interested in the people, I think. Even men don’t seem to bother them as often is the case. The first week we had them they met lots of men and children, so I think that really helped to socialize them. Also, their parents are quite friendly dogs, so they are naturally sociable. We were careful to evaluate that when we selected the pups, since we have had the experience with a not-so-sociable dog.

Thursday, February 5, 2009





Obsessive-compulsive border collies

If you know anything about border collies, you know that they can be quite obsessive-compulsive about things. They are herders, and herding dogs can get quite focused on the task at hand, whether it is herding sheep, chasing geese from parks and golf courses, or even ‘herding’ little children. Our first border collie, Tobie, had a terrible habit of wanting to herd anything that moved, and since we didn’t have any sheep or geese, or even young children, she would ‘herd’ the vacuum cleaner, the lawn mower, the wheel barrow, or just about anything that had wheels on it and moved!
We have witnessed this behaviour starting to exhibit itself in Will, but not Emma. She seems to be more cautious and moves away from moving things, like the vacuum cleaner. I think it’s more that she doesn’t like the loud noise and feels safer running away from it rather than at it. Will, on the other hand, wants to bark at the vacuum cleaner, and follows its movement. He doesn’t nip at it like Tobie used to, but it’s probably only a matter of time before he would.

After having lived with a dog whose behavior we were unable to control, we are determined to be better owners this time. We didn’t know how to break Tobie of these habits that had become so entrenched. We hope we can learn how to prevent this from happening in our two new puppies.

Conditioning
Jim noticed that Will seems to be better with the vacuum when he is not confined in his pen or crate. He was vacuuming out the pellet stove last weekend (his weekly chore) and had Will lie down, just a few feet away from him, while he did his vacuuming. Will was well-behaved and just lay there and watched, not barking.

We have learned that dogs learn best from repetition and conditioning. The more recent method of teaching dogs is known as the ‘lure and reward’ method, described very well in a book by Dr. Ian Dunbar, Before and After You Get A Puppy. I thought I would draw from this method to train Will to accept being near the noisy vacuum cleaner without barking at it or biting it.
You can download a free version of 'After You Get Your Puppy' here: http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/after-you-get-your-puppy
and you can also download a free version of 'Before You Get Your Puppy' here:

I got the vacuum out to clean up the furry mess in the family room, and had Will stay in the room with me. As usual, his first reaction was to bark at the noisy contraption. For his reward, I used one of the really tasty chicken-flavoured treats that he loves (a Newman’s Own product that my thoughtful friend, Rosemary, gave me). I left the vacuum running in the room, and coaxed him closer to it, praising him for not barking, while telling him to 'leave it' and giving him one of the tasty treats. I repeated this a couple of times, until he seemed pretty comfortable with it running noisily beside him. I then got up and started to move it, slowly at first, not too close, but close enough for him to see it and react if he was going to. He moved around, and away, watching it all the time, but not barking at it, and not chasing it. Each time it came close to him, I told him to 'leave it', praised him and gave him a generous portion of the tasty treat. He was great with it! He still did not take his eyes off it, but did not bark and did not chase it. We will try this again, and next time I will have him lay down while it moves around him.

I feel like I made a major break-through today! This behavior is definitely not cured yet, but he has started on the road to being able to live with moving, noisy objects. We will have to repeat this again and again, and with patience, we may have a dog that does not behave in such an obsessive-compulsive manner. We can only hope!

Sunday, February 1, 2009


The latest portrait
Note that Will's ears have begun to stand up. This started about three weeks ago. Also note the difference in his size, especially noticeable in his head size. He is much more like his father, Joe, while Emma is more like her mother, Nell. Will weighs 20 pounds now, while Emma is 15 pounds. Emma is our little gymnast, shorter and stockier than Will. He is the gangly teenager, clumsy with his long legs!


Jim with Will and Emma at Stratton Brook Park.
Will and Emma exploring at Stratton Brook Park

The world through puppy eyes

The pups are fourteen weeks old and we celebrated with their first big trip to Stratton Brook Park. Only about a mile away, this is the closest state park to us, with trails, with a lake, a fishing pond, and a pretty red covered bridge that fits right into New England. This is where we often walked with Tobie, our first border collie, since we could walk from our house along a trail through the woods and down the town road to get there. This is a 20 minute walk just to get there, so we drove today. The puppies are still too young for a walk that long and we wanted them to enjoy the scenery at the park. It was a beautiful sunny day, cold and crisp, but the trail through the woods was totally covered with ice-covered snow and is too difficult to manoeuvre this time of year, especially with tender paws.

We walked the long trail from the road to the covered bridge and the lake. Everything was new to Will and Emma. They were enthralled with the brook rambling alongside the trail. The potpourri of new smells were exciting, and they even met a new young dog named Ginger. Walking was easier on the trail where it was packed down, but the icy snow was strong enough to hold their weight. If we didn’t have a good hold on their leashes, they easily could have slipped into the creek. We were careful, though - no pupsicles for us!

There was a small flock of Canada Geese on the fishing pond for the pups to watch. This is their first exposure to the geese. The breeder where Will and Emma are from trains her border collies as geese dogs, to flush the geese from golf courses, parks and private properties. There seems to be quite a need for these goose dogs.
 

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