Introducing the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop

Please join the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop on the first Monday of each month beginning next week, January 6th, hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Dachshund Nola & Tenacious Little Terrier. Since January is National Train Your Dog Month, we encourage posts themed with Train Your Dog Month.com's motto "Make training a part of everyday life with your dog." However, any posts about positive based training with any pets are welcome in the blog hop this and every month.

Training brings joy to our house. It is infinitely more pleasant having dogs who behave (although they don't always!). Plus Mr. N enjoys the attention and praise and mental stimulation and Onyxx likes the treats that come with training. And it makes me laugh. Often when they're not doing the right thing!

There have been training days when I'm frustrated to the point of tears (always reactivity training) but mostly I just laugh. At Mr. N because he's so serious about trying to figure out what I want and I can see the little wheels in his head turning. And at Onyxx because he's just hysterical to watch in his pursuit of food. His latest trick is to lie in front of Mr. N when I ask for a down so he can try to get to the treat first. 

So please share your stories of training triumphs and failures and progress with us and we'll do the same. Foster dog Onyxx came to us two months ago, knowing nothing. Not even his name. And look at him now! 

Monday Mischief #18 - When it rains, it pours

Warning: This post gets gross with in-depth discussion of dog body fluids.

Last Sunday, we made a mad dash to the vet because Mr. N was throwing up and having diarrhea. Today was Onyxx's turn and we had to rush him to the emergency vet at 2:30 in the morning.

It started on Friday when he threw up a hairball. I didn't know dogs could get hairballs. Did you? He is always grooming himself and licking the floor so it's not a huge surprise but that's not what you want to be greeted with at four in the morning. His stomach was a little upset but I chalked it up to the hairball and went to work.

We started him on bland food and he seemed to be doing OK until Onyxx threw up on Saturday afternoon and then wouldn't stop having diarrhea. He would hide under the couch and go to the door at five minute intervals insisting that he had to go out even though he had been out five minutes prior. I talked to the rescue earlier (before he got worse) and they thought it was some bacterial infection and said to fast him.

At some point, the diarrhea turned into blood. I kept calling the rescue but they weren't picking up. I was concerned because the rescue is responsible for Onyxx's medical bills and we have to get approval for vet visits. I called the emergency vet and they said to bring him in. The boyfriend came home and we decided that he was simply too ill to wait until morning. 

 Initially, the vet was thinking HGE (hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, a canine illness characterized by vomiting and bloody diarrhea) and he had the textbook "raspberry jam" texture diarrhea. His blood work was inconclusive for that, however, and they started thinking obstruction as a possible cause.

We took Onyxx home as an outpatient after he received fluids and anti-nausea injections with instructions to bring him back if he didn't improve and to think about x-rays. 

The rescue called in the morning and we discussed what to do next. Onyxx had a few more bouts of diarrhea but no more vomiting. We were thinking he'd probably have to be hospitalized overnight at the emergency vet. He was refusing to eat and was just lying listlessly on a dog bed in the pen.

And then the little stinker ran out of the bedroom when he heard Mr. N being fed dinner and started dancing around the living room on hind legs begging. He ate some prescription canned food mixed with water and we squirted his meds into his mouth. 

He's still pretty quiet but he ate a little bit more food afterwards and went back to sleep. It is insanely hard to tell if a lazy dog is being lethargic. Onyxx will normally spend hours sleeping on the couch or bed. So when he is sick and doing the same thing, it's difficult to ascertain if he is improving or not.

It's much easier to tell with Mr. N. He has random zoomies around the house, he will toss toys for himself when he gets bored and if you are late for his walk time, he will let you know that it is not acceptable. If he is lethargic, it shows.

The boyfriend thinks this may all be a complicated plot on Onyxx's part to get a break from Mr. N. Mr. N likes to bat at Onyxx's face when he wants to play and Onyxx wants to sleep. Or sleep with his foot on Onyxx's face.

BW Sunday #20 - Christmas Pup

Wordless Wednesday #18 - Christmas Present

Monday Mischief #17 - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The good:

• Onyxx learned how to jump through a hoop on command.
• Onyxx met a quasi-celebrity. 
• Mr. N is recovering from his illness with the aid of sub-Q fluids, injections and pills.

The bad:

• Mr. N was very sick. He was starting to get dehydrated and lethargic so we headed to the vet. Why oh why do they always insist on getting sick on holidays/weekends? I'm threatening to count the vet visit as his Christmas present. 
• Mr. N is the worst invalid ever. The day after his vet visit, he tried to wrestle with Onyxx and play with his beloved bear. 
• I took Mr. N to the pet store to pick out a toy as a consolation prize for the long vet visit/sickness and he picked the most expensive one. Of course. 
• Onyxx went to the Petsmart adoption and no one was there (potential adopter-wise).
• Onyxx's meet and greet didn't work out. 
• The vet (not our normal one) was anti-raw and fixated on that as the reason for Mr. N's illness ignoring other potential reasons. 

The ugly:

• Onyxx stole some of Mr. N's "invalid" food. Is this worse or better than stealing food from a baby?
• We came home to a room that had to be cleaned from top to bottom with bleach due to Mr. N not feeling well. We are very grateful it wasn't one of the carpeted rooms.
• I think I broke Onyxx's little Chihuahua brain while trying to teach him how to "leave it." 

BW Sunday #19- Trying to Steal the Spotlight

Me: Treat time! Mr. N, can you do a down then roll over? And then back up, dance and high five? 

Onyxx: Me! Me! Me! 

Mr. N: *sighs. See what I have to put up with? How do you expect me to perform under these conditions? Make him move! He doesn't even know how to roll over! 

P.S. Mr. N is not feeling well today. Let's just say he's not keeping food down in any way. We went to the vet yesterday and they gave him fluids and meds. Please send vibes that he recovers in time for Christmas. He has a lot of presents to unwrap! 

FitDog Friday #17 - Fat Dog Ilustration

I was telling a friend (and her daughter) about a fat dog that I had seen who looked like a tick. All bloated with a teeny tiny head and stick legs. The daughter drew me this picture. Accurate depiction?

This is also how fat Onyxx would be if I let him eat as much as he wants. He is always hungry. Mr. N self-regulates to some extent. Plus he's a diva and he only wants meat.

Wordless Wednesday #17 - Christmas Past

Monday Mischief #16- Making Up for Lost Time

We were gone for part of the weekend to go tubing so the dogs decided to make up for lost time and be extra naughty when we came back. We had a friend come over and watch them... it's not like we abandoned them or anything! 

So far Onyxx has:

• Upended a small trash can and stole a paper towel that was used to wipe up sauce and licked it.
• Stole a granola bar wrapper from an end table.
• Licked the ice cream lid
• Found a corn husk on the street and walked for several blocks proudly carrying it in his mouth. I'm very sad I didn't get a picture. I knew he had it but he has been having some food guarding issues lately so I waited until I could trade a treat for it. 

Part of it is really our fault. I'm so used to Mr. N behaving and not touching/eating things around the house that I don't really dog proof most things. Sometimes I'll give him his food (raw meat so extra high value) and leave the room to go do something and he will not touch his food until I give him the OK when I come back. 

Although that doesn't mean that Mr. N doesn't participate in acts of mischief. He tried to jump up on top of a chair in the kitchen yesterday. Which was very strange because he is not allowed in the kitchen and he knows it. He hardly ever tries to go in there and there was nothing on the table that was edible. I was gone so maybe he thought he heard me coming and tried to look out the window? I have no other explanation. 

The dogs while we were gone

BW Sunday #18 - The Thinker

FitDog Friday #16 - It's the Holiday Season

Last week, I took Mr. N to Winter Wonderland to see the Christmas lights. They decorate the raceway with lights and normally it's a drive through event. They have specific days where you can ride your bike or walk with your dogs.

It was a little chilly and I was a little worried that Mr. N was underdressed for the weather. Once we started walking, he was fine though. One of the volunteers half shoved a Milkbone into his mouth as we picked up a goodie bag but luckily he refused to eat it.

It was a little overwhelming for him with all the other dogs around and kids running about and screaming (we went early and there were a lot of families). I ended up carrying him for part of the way. It was fun though. The lights aren't spectacular (I do admit to having high standards in this regard) but a lot of the novelty lies in being able to walk around with your dog(s) and admire the various decorations. I was particular to the twelve days of Christmas ones but it did mean a lot of people walking around singing the song off-key!

We spent a few days in Seattle (minus the dogs) to spend some time with relatives. I would have liked to bring Mr. N but multiple toddlers is enough chaos already without adding him to the mix. We met up with Cascadian Nomads and her trio of dogs in West Seattle and strolled around the neighborhood. I spotted an ornament that looked like Mr. N in a little boutique. I was tempted but resisted.

Meanwhile, in Portland, the dogs were experiencing the first snow. Mr. N has played with snow before when we went to visit relatives. I'm not sure about Onyxx's snow experience but I didn't think he would like it. He doesn't like the cold or wet at all. And I was right.

Our pet sitter sent this photo to me in a text saying, "This is when we first walked out. Mr. N's like "what's all this?" and Onyxx is like, "I think I want to go back inside."

How are you celebrating the holiday season with your dogs?

Wordless Wednesday #16 - Home for the Holidays?

Dear Blogosphere, 

I need ideas for how to advertise my foster dog further and/or make him more adoptable. He wears his "adopt me" vest outdoors on walks, several pet stores have posted his profile on their Facebook pages and we go to adoption events at Petsmart.

He is housebroken, good with other dogs, and leash trained. Onyxx also knows a few tricks (shake, play dead) etc. He wants to eat all the food and will have to be crated when you're out but other than that, he's generally a very easy dog who just wants cuddles and food. We're setting up his first meet and greet (after two months!) but just in case that doesn't work out, I need a backup plan.

What more can I do? Besides dressing him up as an elf/Sugar Plum Fairy?

Monday Mischief #15 - Laptop Thief

We're still recovering from a long weekend up in Seattle so this post will be brief (more on that to come!).

I saw this shirt in Petco and wanted to get Mr. N one but I was overruled by the boyfriend. Maybe later on sale? Personally, I think it's perfect for him.

I don't know if anyone else's dogs does this but Mr. N has this habit of sleeping on our laptops. We leave the room for a minute and he's on top of it. Normally, he just rests his head on it but he was all curled up on the laptop yesterday ignoring several pillows and blankets. I can't tell if he's trying to keep warm or if he is telling me no more computer time! Probably the latter. Terriers are bossy that way.

BW Sunday #17 - Second Best

FitDog Friday #15 - Why Would You Eat That?

Who wants to guess what Onyxx ate this time? We patched up the hole in the baseboard with Elmer's wood filler and when I came home, the filler was gone and a few shavings on the floor. I'm 99% sure it was Onyxx and that he ate it. Mr. N has never destroyed anything before and he doesn't care for non-meat items. The only "bad" thing he ate was chicken bones on the street that he gulped down before I could stop him. 

So I spent an hour on the phone calling our vet (who said they had no experience with wood filler and referred us to the ASPCA poison control hotline), the emergency vet (who also directed us to the hotline), the rescue (because the hotline costs $65 and I have to have medical expenses pre-approved), and the poison hotline for Elmer's. 

Elmer's was very helpful and asked me a series of questions about the amount, dog size and breed etc. They also have a vet on staff. They said it was not toxic and if he was sick, he would be showing signs of lethargy and not wanting to eat. Which has never been a problem for Onyxx. The other thing to watch out for is a possible obstruction.

So he's going back to a crate every time we leave. We crate him when he is by himself but when Mr. N is with him, he was fine. I don't know what triggered it but we would like our place intact!

Although we may not have to do that for much longer. I was told today that someone is interested in Onyxx and she wants to set up a meet soon. She has a Chihuahua too. Please send good vibes! 

What has your dog eaten and survived unscathed? 

The culprit.

Wordless Wednesday #17 - Then and Now

Two years ago, a little bundle of fluff joined our household and it hasn't been the same since. Happy Gotcha Day, Mr. N!

During those two years, Mr. N:

• Earned his first AKC title
• Had his first professional gig as a model 
• Helped show his foster brother Onyxx the ropes
• Learned numerous tricks
• Saw the ocean and played in it
• Traveled on a plane, bus, light rail and trolley
• And more

1. Mr. N looking for his favorite toy at his foster home 2. His foster brother 3. Mr. N pre-foster 4. His foster sister