Puppy vaccination issues

When Captain got vaccinated for kennel cough, I found that he had a persistant cold.  Now, I am NOT a vet, but I decided to see if something I use for coughs would help my dog.  I checked it out online and saw others who had used it, so I figured it’d be okay for my little guy, though I only gave him a tablespoon a day.  The stuff I used is called Colloidal Silver and it handled his little cold along with any sniffles in about two days.

Puppy Chewing

I’ve heard puppies chewing on unwanted items called “mouthing”, but either way it’s annoying and sometimes painful or expensive.  I’ve found a nice, passive method of getting my dog to chew proper items.

- If he chews on something unwanted, remove him from the area and give him something else to chew.  I normally try to give my puppy his favorite toy.

- Always say “No” when he chews on something unwanted, then remove him from what he’s chewing.  That way, when he hears “No”, he knows he’s doing something wrong.

- Always praise him for chewing on the proper item.  Lots of “good boy”s and petting – perhaps even a treat.

That’s what I’ve been doing and he’s getting better.  The only time he really nips me now is when I’m playing with him and my hand is in the way.  He’s stopped chewing wires (thank goodness).

Puppy Pictures – He’s Getting Bigger

Puppy getting belly rub

I got puppies attention

Puppy wants up!

Disobeying Puppy

Well, my puppy was doing so good, coming when he was called, not barking, biting was down to a minimum, not jumping off the sidewalk, sitting pleasantly in the car and being very sweet generally.  But, we’ve had a backslide the last day or so.  Puppy training can be one of the most frustrating things in the whole world.  You give them an inch and they take mile. 

I think what started it all was that I let him run into the street to great someone, then he started going in the street.  I freaked out and he started getting anxious because I was upset.  It’s so hard to keep your cool!  Anyway, we are chilling now and he seems to be doing better.  We’ll see on his walk tonight.

From Trash to Toy

My boyfriend and I have been getting rid of old clothes – giving them to Goodwill, selling them on Ebay, taking them to consignment stores, etc.  But, there are some clothes you just can’t give away or sell – namely underwear.  Yes, underwear.

I decided to make my boyfriend’s clean, old boxers into rags for housecleaning, but the elastic part was left over.  I was struck by an inspiration and experimentally used it as a tug-of-war toy for Captain.  He took right to it.  The elastic is hardy, gentle and good for tugging as it has some give.  So far, it’s been a hit.  I guess one man’s trash is a dog’s treasure.

Puppy Update

My puppy has been healthy since the vet trip.  Yay!  He’s been pooping with regularity (which any senior or Activia user knows is very pleasant) and he seems to be pretty happy.  He’s been into nipping me a lot lately, though, which I think is him figuring out that I am the hand which controls all toys.  He appears to be trying to cut through the red tape and go straight to the source of the fun.  I need to teach him that it’s better not to do that.  I think it’s partly that my boyfriend plays with him using his hands a lot, instead of toys.

Also, while he’s usually very attentive, he’s been less so lately.   But when I couldn’t find him in the dark yard tonight, he came when called.  He seems to have selective hearing and when I need him most, he does come.

I brought him on a couple of car rides too… and while I’m told having a puppy in the lap while driving is illegal (woops) my dog won’t stay out of my lap.  He does respond well to having a chew toy or treat and occupying himself during the drive.  He used to whine and be frightened, but now – when the ac’s blasting on him and he’s got a chew toy – the car doesn’t seem to bother him. 

It’s been so hot that if I take him out I have to carry a bottle of water with me at all times or he wilts.  Since he hasn’t had all his shots yet, I’ve been wetting my hand and having him lick the water off of that.  A slow process.  The whole process of having a dog has made me slow down a little – become less frantic - and spend more time playing.  I believe what “they” say about dogs lowering ones heart rate.  I can feel it working on me already.

That’s about all for now!

Vet Trip

I took the puppy to the vet this fine morning and he said there’s nothing wrong with him.  Apparently Bichon’s are very finicky and easily get tummy upsets.  My little guy was just feeling that.  I did get an anti-biotic for him though, some Amoxicillin – I guess to prevent infection?  My puppy is only 2 lbs, so my vet prescribed a very small dose.  Anyway, he seems to be doing okay now, not squealing and screaming when he poops. 

I have to say, young puppies (or maybe it’s just my young puppy) have way too much energy.  They are like little kids – completely tireless.  I almost wish I had another dog for the puppy to play with, but I don’t.  It’s making me wish I had a career in being a dog walker/companion.  They need so much attention and care that I can’t see how someone with a 8 hour work day where they can’t go home would care for the poor thing.  Even though I go home every four hours, I still feel like I’m not giving my dog all the exercise he needs.

Oh well, I have a feeling that in about a year he and I will be at a kind of balance of energy levels.  That’ll be good.

Doggy Dragging his Butt

So, my puppy is having trouble pooping again.  He also drags his butt across the floor when he has pooped or tried to poop.  I was worried he might have worms, but perplexed because I got him checked a week ago and he was fine, so I looked up the “dog dragging his butt” symptom.  I found it it’s called “scooting” and dogs do it for two reasons:

a) He/she has worms

b) He has trouble secreting his scent with his anal glands.  Apparently this is normal for small dogs and a vet or a groomer can help drain them for him.

So, tomorrow morning, it’s onwards and upwards to the vet. Wish me luck!

Tired Pooch

I have discovered that my dog is a very good dog until he gets tired.  Then, like a child, he will whine and complain (though his methods of doing this are nipping me) until I turn off the lights and put him to bed.  I’m glad I finally figured it out, because I was starting to think that I had a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde dog – good by day but evil by night.  I just can’t play with him for more than an hour.  Then he gets snippy and tired. 

That’s my newest observation.  My dog’s schedule seems to be:
7 AM – Get up, pee, poop, eat, walk and play!
8:10 AM – Nappy time
10:30 AM – Get up, pee, poop, snack, short play, the back to bed at around 11 AM.
1 PM: Get up to pee, poop, play and have lunch.
2 PM: Back to bed again. Chill in little “kennel” Julia has set up for pooch in her kitchen.
5:45 PM: Get up, pee, poop, dinner, short walk and play.
6:30 PM: Back to nap. This one’s a long, solid snooze.
10 PM: Get up, midnight snack, pee, poop, long walk and play.
11 PM: Nap
1:30 AM: Get up, pee, poop, drink and play.

Normally I wouldn’t say this, but I’m glad my boyfriend and I are on such different schedules. He helps take the dog out at night and late morning.

What kind of schedule does anyone else have their dog on?

Captain – the Fussy Puppy

I adopted an extremely adorable puppy a week ago and have discovered – as many clueless puppy owners probably do, that adopting a puppy is very like having a baby.  So far, my little puppy (named Captain by my boyfriend) has gone to the vet for his first shots, puked up treats, become constipated by treats, peed on the carpet numerous times and generally chewed/eaten anything he could. 

I’m going to go through some of my trials an tribulations, along with sharing pictures.  So, if there’s a lot of complaining here, forgive me, but I only have so much time and my puppy is a fussy one.  I’m trying to get some pictures up, but wordpress appears to be having some technical difficulties with it.  I’ll forgive them for now and go to bed – I’m extremely tired.  Poor puppy woke me up at 5AM as he’s had constipation, which has turned into diarrhea, which now seems to be simple painful pooping – probably because of the afore mentioned issues he’s had. 

Last little note – the reason Captain got constipated was from a treat.  Because he has such a small little body, a treat that you or I would consider nothing blocked up his entire system.  It was this apple/chicken thing I got from Whole Foods. 

Since I had to handle my poor doggy’s constipation (and believe me, it was terrible to watch him try to take a poop.  He’d work at it for 20 mins, often times yelping – he’s usually a quiet dog – and still not getting anything out.  Heartbreaking to watch) I found a great way to cure constipation in dogs.  It’s all over the internet, but I felt better when the emergency nurse told me.  Basically, you feed them the pumpkin pulp you put in pumpkin pie. 

My dog is so small that I had to water it down a bit, but that stuff worked wonders.  I first gave him about 2 tablespoons full of the pumpkin pulp, watering it down and hand feeding it.  Then I mixed it with soft food and, later, mixed the pumpkin with the soft food and some hard food.  So far, his pooping has been a-okay.  Thank goodness for pumpkin pulp.

Has anyone else heard of something good for curing your dog of constipation?  Do you know when you stop looking for cures, and when you actually take him to the vet?  Lemme know.