Puppy Diaries: Adopted!

Jack-Jack has been adopted, and is moving to his new home in a few weeks. The only thing I can say is "HALLELUJAH. Having the two of them together gets harder everyday, as they are extremely smart, and plot on a daily basis how best to get into as much as possible.

One on one they are great. Together? Not so much.

They can spend very little time on their own, even blocked into a "puppy proof" room.  As they can make a mess out of almost nothing. It's mind boggling! I warn anyone thinking of getting two puppies, that are the same age. JUST DON'T.

When I get my next guide dog puppy, I'm positive it will feel like a breeze. One puppy, that can stay behind baby gate and doesn't have mad climbing skills? NO PROBLEM.

He'll hopefully be moving on in a few weeks and then we can focus on working on Mulan's (aka Moo-Moo) behavioral issues that have started to arise.

Here's to hoping I don't kill them in the next week or so! (Just kidding!) 

Also (RIP a few month old Converse Sneakers. You were the most expensive pair of shoes I bought. I'll miss you.) 

~Erin

Puppy Diaries: Sleeeeep

Day 36 

May 27, 2013 

Mulan & Jack-Jack 

There is no such thing as relaxing in a house full of puppies.
Its like having kids, except you can't really communicate. Well .... you know what I mean.
I woke up on this lovely memorial day with a stomach ache that has persisted throughout my six hours of work, and on into the afternoon. Side Note: I'm currently baby-sitting Paris my friends 6-month-old Yorkie, on top of Things 1 & 2; so I mean it when I say I have a house FULL of puppies.

Upon arriving home, all I want to do is take a nap. I spent an hour with them in the yard, completely focused on getting a nap. As soon as my timer went off,  I managed to corral M & JJ into the Kitchen, complete with PB cover toys, and a double-gated doorway and took Paris, Bubbles & Texas with me.

Paris is not a huge fan of the moster mutts and prefers to have nothing to do with them, so she was stuck with me. I soon found out why that wasn't the best idea for someone who was looking for rest.

She, like most puppies, doesn't like to be still. Like at all. In the minutes its taken me to write these paragraphs she's climbed over me at least 20 times.  Maybe more. She's climbed over the dachshunds, then over my keyboard, over me again, walked over my pillows now down to the end of the bed.

Now back onto the bed, stopped for a moment to sit and watch me type, before making her rounds yet again.

Is a nap really too much to ask????

Between a screaming puppy from the kitchen, (Thing 1 & 2 don't share very well) and a dancing puppy on my bed, I barely squeezed in an hours worth of shut eye.

Once I realized a nap was no longer an I option, I loaded up the puppies (M & JJ) and took them to my friends house for dinner. Both puppies are hitting adolescents and have deemed all dogs bigger than them the enemy... Despite the fact that Mulan has met and had no problem with Snowy in the past; Today she chased Snowy around the house several times before I corralled her. Snowy thought it was a big game, and wasn't at all deterred by Mulan's "wrath". So they were regulated to being outside or crated. But there were some moments when they could get out. So I let the kids walk them, it was good for the to interact with the kids, and get to do something they wanted.

 Disclaimer: Both puppies were completely supervised with the kids and given lots of treats! :) 

Puppy Diaries: New Food

Day 35
May 26, 2013

New Foodies 

Mulan models the new bags of food

My dogs typically eat a smorgashboard of kibbles. I'm not one to commit to one particular brand when it comes to my dachshunds. Variety is the spice of life IMO; and it keeps them from getting picky. I tend to keep my food standard at brands that can't be purchased at Walmart, and have had them on Natural Balance, Purina Pro Plan, Wellness, Back to the Basic's etc. However I have noticed Bubbles' digestive system was having a rough time on Natural Balance, and the puppies who were on Science Diet have been itching and scratching non-stop lately. So I've decided to go back to Wellness for the next few months and see if we can all get back on track.

I'm a fan of Wellness as its what I first changed my dogs to back when I realized what a big role food played in my dogs behavior. Bubbles lost weight and had a lot more energy, Texas stayed at a good weight and I think the puppies will benefit from not having so much grains in their diet.

Wellness we're back! :)

$$$$$$$$

Puppy Diaries: Houdini's

Day 34 
May 25, 2013 
Too Smart for their Own Good

Everyone liked to make fun of dumb dogs, and they make. Easy to do so. I know I because I just sent back one, that I made lots of fun of. I loved that dog to death, but he was a dog that would run full tilt forward while looking backwards. He's a dog that regularly tripped over his own feet.  Regularly. 

Now these puppies on the other hand, are INCREDIBLY smart. Too smart.  Hard to live with smart. What could they possibly think of next smart. 

Over the last 35 days I've been able to learn more about these guys and the more I live with them the smarter they seem.

Mulan seems to be the "thinking" pup. The decisions she makes seems as if she's evaluated the situation, and found the simplest solution.  

For instance I decided to baby gate them onto my front porch. Its about 8x8 with wooden slats about four inches apart. It's about 2 feet off the ground with steps leading down.  Since its higher than my back porch they haven't seemed inclined to leap off it. Yet. 

Well I needed to clean my house and so I decided to see if they would be cool with hanging on the porch with some toys. I put up the baby gate, and let Mulan onto the porch. She immediately walks onto the porch, walks to the open slat BESIDE the baby-gate, stretches her tiny self to the step that's being blocked by the gate, and is in the yard using the bathroom. 

I think I stood with my mouth open for at least five minutes. Sure I expected her to get out, but within seconds of seeing she was barricaded?! 

Jack, on the other hand, tends to attack things with his body first, before utilizing his brain. Its a method that tends to work for him. 

But what inspired this post was this: Since the puppies seem to have learned to control their bladders a bit more, they are given a BIT more freedom in the house. They have used that freedom to climb on every surface possible. Mulan QUICKLY figured out, that she could get from the couch, to the side table, to the little window leading to my kitchen and within seconds she was on the counter. 

Its official guys. 

NOTHING. IS SAFE.

Excuse me while I grab a tissue...

The note below made every frustration, chewed item, chase scene through my neighborhood, and attacks over the last two months, worth it. As you guys have commented, sometimes trusting your "gut" pays out. And this time we've hit the pot of gold. 


Our trade off went really well, we met at a Petstore in NC, and I showed Zips new mom a few things that I felt would be essential for Zipper. Then Pompei and I walked them to her car, and placed Zipper into her brand new crate, on her brand new blanket and watched them drive away.

I will admit that I felt an acute sense of relief. I know my family thinks I'm being a little over dramatic, but seriously that dog ruled the roost, my time, my energy and everything was spent working with Zipper. 

Anyway I hadn't heard anything from the all day, so being the worrier I am, I emailed them to see how the first night went....


Zip seems to feel right at home! She slept with me in my bed, curled up right next to my leg and only got up once in the middle of the night to play with a squeaky toy, but then I woke a little before 6am and she was fast asleep! We went for an early morning walk, and you're right outside is her doggie heaven! Any chance she can get to go outside she LOVES it. I took her to work from 8-9 so she could meet the people I work with and she loved meeting new people, and after the initial excitement of all the newness of the office she curled up in a chair in my office and napped/watched me work. (Something that would not have happened in my house due to other dogs)I had to run out to visit people so I took her home at 9, and my sister woke up about 9:30am and took her for a 40 minute walk and then they took an afternoon nap, and then I came home for lunch and took her for a mini walk. And we just took her for an evening walk. So, I think she loves all the attention. She is playing nicely, and only chewing on her toys thus far, and she is eating and no accidents yet. She is a happy little puppy I think! Hopefully night two goes just as well!! I'll send you pictures soon! 

We love her! Thank you so much!

I'm thinking this is a match made in heaven. *sniffs*

Texas Log: member mom

Ok alla ya'lls need to send lots of tail wags, and good thoughts too mom right now, cause Zipper is a LAMEY-POO and tried to KILL ME  bite me really hard two moons ago. Now mom doesn't want to make it so she bites a lotta more dogs, and gets in trouble and has too go to the DOGGIE JAIL, cause mom was too chicken ta do the right thing. Well, personally I don't think it would be a bad thing for Zips to go too jail cause then she could bite me all the time anymore. AnyWoofs moms a pushover and "didn't want to cause problems" with Zipper being with a lotta more dogs. She doesn't think people really believe its dats serious but I DO! I actually miss dumbo Pompei cause at least he don't try and bite me all the time. 
Sometimes, when she is sleep, I kinda like hers...but then she wakes up and starts the whole bitey thing again, and its no fun anymore. 
SO Yah. That's all for now. 

P.S. (I didn't even bite her backs when she tried ta kill me TTHREE TimES!)
PPS (I thinks I desevers a metal for that.)

Calmness

{Zipper snoozes on the back of a chair}

Today was probably the best day we've had with Miss Zipper, since her arrival..about a month ago. 

Last night we had an episode where, she attacked Texas three times, and the last time she had no plans of letting him go. Needless to say we removed her from the situation from the night, and I knew we had to do something different today.  From what I'm observing, when she gets excited she redirects onto whatever dog is around her, and sometimes its extremely intense. I'm thinking that's what one of the attacks last night was about, as we'd had company over, which of course  gets all the dogs excited.  The other two were over food.  

So today, Zipper got to hang with me, either leashed, or blocked off in the room I was in. I think Bubbles and Texas appreciated the break from her "nagging". We'd trade off between 30 minutes out, and 30 minutes crated, which in turned produced a much calmer Zipper. *insert surprised face* Her body was probably thanking me for the down time! :) 

I also decided not too let her play, with Bubbles or Texas since she wasn't respecting their signals to BACK OFF. Especially since Bubbles is more likely to fight back, if Zipper doesn't get the message the first time. 

I think we will probably wind up continuing with this schedule until she goes to her new family sometime in the next week or so. 

{She was really just plotting a way to get on my desk, and after my sandwhich :)}

Wordless Wednesday - Attack!