Revenge of the Sasquatch…by Lisa Harmon July 7, 2009

c’mon, I’m ready! Gimme some messing with Sasquatch time! Kenai, 19 mo

First, let me give a warm thank you to everyone who’s offered their condolences on my brother’s death. Not to mention, put up with disjointed posts about no-fun for the boys, and a total lack of training for the past month. That seems to be the unshakable habit for us: work awhile, stop awhile. 

Neglected training or not, we had ourselves a really fun “messin with sasquatch” time this week. Kenai had an exceptional amount of boy-fun, and I managed to get pictures for a change.

Here is the “are you mocking me?” face, the build up to noisier indignations.

It doesn’t take much to get a really good play bow out of him when Mom’s around!

The two of them are play buddies ex-traordinaire.

The teasing continued, of course and here he is planning his retribution. While backtalking, naturally. He can’t let on he’s planning or we’ll be prepared, you see. All part of the strategy…

Revenge of the Sasquatch!

My slipper squished when I got it back, after much deliberate “ado”, so I left it to dry.

Didn’t help: you know it’s time to wash the slipper when it sticks to the ball of your foot, unless you shake your leg like a cat that didn’t like the puddle they stepped in!

Speaking of cats, Kenai and BB watch the “Big Cat Diary” on Animal Planet with me every weekday, peeking around the edge of the TV when the leopard goes off the screen. Lions especially interest them, and I wonder if it’s because they are the same color.

The squeakies from the cubs invariably create head turns and boy wrinkles. “Hum, is that a relative? Is that an invitation to play?” they might be thinking. Who knows. But we watch the kitties Monday through Friday.

Since it’s summer, I thought I’d mention a life-threatening problem called “bloat”, or “GDV”. It’s when a dog gets so much air and gas in their digestive tract that their stomachs can twist around into the wrong position. This cuts off blood to the tissues, and large parts of the stomach and intestines can die.

Bloat is the #1 killer of Great Danes. Even a dog that’s been “tacked”, a proceedure called gastroplexy can still bloat, they just won’t twist the stomach. The bloating is painful, and can even rupture the bowels, so tacking isn’t a cure. There’s lots of potential causes, but no one really knows exactly why one dog bloats and another doesn’t.

Evidence suggests that nervous dogs tend to bloat more often, and dogs whose family history includes bloat are also more susceptible. Sires, Dams, aunts, uncles, littermates that bloat increase your dog’s risk. Temperature extremes, heat in particular, can create the conditions for a dog to bloat and twist.

That’s why Danes are indoor dogs: they can’t take high heat or deep cold. Danes are short coated dogs so it’s harder for them to stay warm, but heat is an arguably bigger danger. I don’t let my boys out for anything but a potty when the temp hits 85 degrees. If you are gone during the day, leave them inside to await your return.

Some precautions are fairly simple, like not giving a dog lots of cold water to drink or food to eat just before or after exercise. Rule of thumb is 2 hours between. I always let the dogs cool down and stop panting before giving them a real drink. I’ll let them “wet their whistle” with just a few laps, but not much when they’re hot.

Slowing down how fast the dog eats can possibly prevent bloat. Snarfing it all down quick means they can also snarf down lots of air. Feeding a food that doesn’t agree with them can also create excess gas, with grains and corn being the most common gas producing food intolerances. 

Even with all the best precautions and not a single incidence of bloat in a Dane’s family, bloat can still happen. Risk factors are risk factors, but exceptions happen. The early signs are subtle, but it pays to pay attention because the longer the situation goes untreated, the higher the mortality rate. A dog can die from a GDV in a matter of hours.

First is the heavy panting for no particular reason, and hard rounded tum. Be especially concerned if it’s dry panting; a Dane that doesn’t drool when breathing hard is usually in trouble. Restlessness, not being able to find a comfortable spot, and just being “not right” are your first signs of possible bloat.

Some dogs will nibble at their tums, or whine alot. The more stoic dogs can be really hard to pick up on until they are in deep distress. Checking the gums and tongue, if they are dry and pale, you’ve got a problem so go straight to the vet. There’s a page over yonder about bloat with even more detail.  

***

The weirdest few days of all the weirdness of the past month arrived, ie houseguests in for the funeral. I’ve had to re-adjust my attitude from “don’t bother me” to “this is an opportunity”; we don’t get much chance to work on manners when someone comes.

BB was expectedly noisy about the whole situation, but Kenai has been mostly well mannered. He’s slightly skittish of Norm, a big guy and a big voice, but he goes in for a sniff fairly often, and lays on a bed between Norm and myself. I’m really proud of my boy being so calm about the whole thing.

Today has errands, despite my best efforts to be a couch bum today: boys need food, picking up the flowers and plants, breakfast with folks before they go home. You know what that means: car riding for Kenai! The nice cool morning has him feeling spunky, too.

The Whole Dog Journal had a spread about socializing pups this month, so I bought it to see what I could learn. Unfortunately the article was mostly stuff I already knew, but there was one really good idea: 100 new experiences in 100 days.

Essentially, a new 8 wk old pup is in the middle of a short window of time where they can acclimate to just about anything. You can introduce a dog of any age to something new, but between 6 wks and 12 weeks a pup is highly malleable.

They take things in stride much better when young, and the acceptance of a situation pretty much lasts throughout their lives, barring a negative or frightening experience. It really is much easier to teach a young pup confidence and good habits.

So the article suggests new owners shoot for a novel and new experience each day for the first 100 days. That would seem a challenge, but as I thought about it, it occurred to me it really isn’t as tough as it sounds. We do so many things all day long, and all of it is new for a puppy.

Puppies get handled alot, and if you want them to accept the less than fun handling of a vet later on, you can allow them to be handled under your supervision: big people, little people, short people, fat people, young people, old people, any kind of people.

If you would like your pup to be non-chalant at the farmers market when an adult, take them shopping with you when they’re little. Naturally, you’ll want to make it fun and safe, but allow them to sniff about and adjust to the noise and movement of the crowds.

If the pup tends to be hesitant, you can always hang about the edges of the market or walk around the playground for awhile. The point of socializing is exposing a puppy to smells and sounds and sights they will see all their lives while young enough to accept it without much effort.

But more than that, socializing is teaching them to be confident whatever they encouter. Most of us don’t normally travel every week, but you still want a dog to be relaxed when you go on vacation, right? If they have developed the skills to take on new experiences without fear, they’ll be fine.

The keys to socializing is keeping it short-n-sweet: new equals happy experiences that don’t stretch past the pup’s attention span or tolerance. You can’t expect a 10 week old pup to hold a 2 hour down stay, nap notwithstanding!

But rewarding curiosity, praising liberally, and being cautious that the pup doesn’t get frightened or hurt is all it takes to build a confident dog from a young puppy. The more you expose them to in a positive way, the more a pup will get used to.

Well, I could blabber long and hard, but there’s things to get done, so ya’ll have a good week, and I’ll talk at ya later.

Pay No Attention, I’m Working…by Lisa Harmon July 2, 2009

Can’t we do something fun for a change? Kenai 18 mo

My brother passed away early Monday morning, so the crating, playless days and weird schedules will soon be over for the boys.  They’ve had it for 4 weeks now. The funeral and burial will be next Monday, held up by the holiday weekend–the military cemetery isn’t doing services this Friday.

So it appears that one more week of weirdness and we get to return to our normal routines. The boys’ve held up better than expected, but hardly took it in stride. Kenai especially. He’s lost a bit of weight, had less than perfect poo, threw up once…you get the idea.

He’s giving me trouble about eating again. Heat, stress, and lack of normal exercise is the culprit. And with Norm coming Saturday to stay with us through the funeral…Norm is a big man, with a big voice, and even the remnants of our routine will go awry until Tuesday.

So I really have to find the strength to get the boys out for their exercise this weekend. Indoor play won’t cut it. Don’t know how, but I have to get ‘em out or deal with an overly excited pair of boobies. At least we’ve gotten a break with the heat–we’re out of triple digits and back to around 90 degrees.

Braggin time: the boys are getting used to fireworks. They hear it, and sit up, but I say “just some fireworks”, and they lay back down. Yay! I don’t have to deal with panicked pups on top of Norm and the unusual routine.

Distractions and goofy games make up for alot of stress. One very welcome distraction is their new “special bones”: Kenai regularly goes to his crate and gives me the extra pretty sit in hopes I’ll pull it out and let him chew.

He only gets the really special stuff in his crate, that way it’s not just the place he gets dumped when we leave him. He happily situates himself in his crate from time to time, for no particular reason, and he doesn’t give me any trouble about crating when I have to leave. Guess I got lucky!

I really should give the boys more toy time attention. Kenai mooches for attention, but most of the time I essentially wimp out and just lay around trying to rest. Bad momma. He needs the interaction, so it’s kick myself in the rump time.

He has been enjoying our naps on “Grammy bed”. She has a king size waterbed, and he tries to convince me we should sleep there at night too. He loves that bed. He can roll over on his back and it gives just enough that it semi-props him up.

I call it “free-style flaking out”, since he doesn’t need the back of the couch to stay up. He can just let things all fall where they will and go fast asleep upside down.  He’s not a big snorer thankfully. I’ve had Danes that rattled the windows.

Some days I swear he has lion genes. He likes the head rubbing how lions do, he sleeps on his back like lions, he leans on his shoulder how lions do, he swats and roughhouses how lion cubs do, he has a strong chase drive…they day he mooches for antelope meat I get his DNA tested!

*** 

For some reason, my blogroll is vanished and I don’t know why. It’s listed on my admin page, but doesn’t show up on the blog. There’s folks to visit, durn it! I’ll work on it and see what my wonky brain can figure out.

And a comment from Jade http://greatdanesd.wordpress.com/ was that she knew Talos the Great Dane pup in SD training http://smartdog.typepad.com/smart_dog/ back when he was called Axle!  Talos and Katie were both bred at the Service Dog Project, which breeds Danes for assistance dog work.

Katie is becoming quite the smooth customer, and ever so suave! She’s an Atlantic City veteran now, taking most everything in stride that the general public can dish out. What a good girl, that Katie. She’s having more problems with the public than some dogs; kids trying to pet her, adults interrupting her work for a q&a.

So ya’ll tell everyone you know: don’t disturb a service dog team. You may like dogs and find it amazing what they can do for us, but an SD needs to concentrate. Working with an assistance animal isn’t as easy as it looks! Not to mention that the handler may not have time or feel like talking.

As much as I like to talk and answer questions, I must admit sometimes it can become bothersome being stopped every few feet by the curious. When I’m tired, being held up on every aisle can become difficult for me, and make my day harder. No one intends to cause me problems, but sometimes the attention does.

It hasn’t been an issue for me lately, not vesting Kenai and taking him inside with me much. He’s not been up to it too often. I’m hoping that will change soon. If not, I at least have a sweetie to love, though it wasn’t all I had wanted.

Another admission along those lines is that I’ve been frustrated with our total lack of progress the past year. At 19 mo, Kenai should be close to removing the “in training” patch, but we are back to relearning the most basic habits any companion dog needs. We were farther along at 16 weeks!

It points out one very, very, uber-important part of training a service dog: the entire household is involved. When I bought Kenai, our environment was stable and relaxed. It wasn’t long though, before other people made a hard job nearly impossible.

All of a sudden, instead of being supportive or at least neutral when the training began, my family went half bonkers. (They were dysfunctional to start with…) So I “blame” Mom some for how poorly the training has gone, but not in a judgmental way. 

Mom wasn’t in a place emotionally where she could make better decisions than she did; allowing my late brother to move in with all his problems, and not treating a deepening depression that resulted. With Mike’s death, the depression is expectedly worse now.

All the instability of 08, and the sudden demands on me, made training Kenai extremely difficult. Had that not occured, I believe we’d be in a much better state, he and I. The stress also contributed mightily to his health problems and mine.

I’m actually not whining: the real problem was allowing myself to be helpless about what happened in my home. My home wasn’t in my control, and Mom just wasn’t capable of asserting her control over what her house was like. I was subject to the consequences of her decisions, good or bad. 

I had no where else to go and no way to support myself. So this never happens again, I’ve applied for SSI. The independence of my own income would have given me the ability to move: to control the situation Kenai and I lived and trained in. I don’t want to be completely at the mercy of other people’s decisions again. 

***

Next week I call our trainer Lisa to start up again! The boys have such fun with her. I think I’ll start with just Kenai, out in public. I’d like to get the loose leash nailed down yet again, without the gentle leader.

He’s very much acting the mature Dane, much calmer and even controllable with critters in the field. I haven’t used the gentle leader in the field for weeks–no leash breaks. I’ve had to use it at the vet, and sometimes when we go inside places.

He hates the thing, but I can’t have him pull on me, no matter how enticing the other puppy. He’s a showstopper, too, my beautiful boy. That means he draws attention. His size often dictates who approaches him (only the brave or past Dane owners)!

No, really, he either draws folks or repels them based on his giant body and cropped ears. He can give a play bow and still make people run! *grin* (nobody’s run off yet). With his harness and bright red vest on, few folks don’t figure out that he’s got a job to do.  

I really wish I had those strong shoulders right now, but he’s not ready. The long and unobtrusive down/stays are aways off just yet. Mom’s certain we’ll “get there”, I’m not, but we’ll see who’s right in the next few months.

The big test will be a doctor’s visit: I absolutely must go to Cleveland this year, a 15 hour drive each way, with a stay in a hotel, and totally unfamiliar surroundings. I’m half tempted to talk Lisa into going with us! If Boy can handle that, I’ll do a happy dance and never worry again.

Well, not my best post, didn’t have time to edit much. But I need to get something up today, so you don’t think we’ve disappeared. Next one will be better!

Toys for Boys…by Lisa Harmon June 24, 2009

Such anticipation…Kenai 18 mo

Whew, it’s been quite a week already, and it’s only half over. My brother is lingering, now 14 days off life support. His vitals are dropping and his extremities are cyanotic, so the end really has to be near. He just keeps on truckin’ for some reason, poor guy.

Tuesday was really rough for the boys, crated almost 8 hours. They’ve never had that happen before, and I felt so bad for them. But our dearest friend called early in the morning to tell us her son had died. So up to Melba’s we went, and spent most of the morning there before going to the hospital.

I made the mistake of taking the boys outside to play as soon as I got home. I was hoping it’d undo some of the strain of being crated. Kenai threw up yellow foamy bile halfway through the intended outside time. Losing a bit of weight as well.

He’d had too many “too’s”: too hungry, too stressed, and too hot.  So we babied his tum, feeding small amounts through the evening, and Wednesday we return to 3 meals a day. I’ve slightly increased his kibble amount from 2 cups at a meal to 2 1/2, taking him to 7 1/2 cups a day.

Wednesday morning, everyone was up before dawn, so we decided to have some fun. The routine was messed up anyway; they might as well have a reason to enjoy it. The boys have new toys, compliments of a very dear friend.

Kenai picked out the “flimsy fox”, and BB wanted the “skinny skunk” for his own. They love these stuffingless toys, since there’s enough for two big mouths to grab and have a good game of tug. BB’s being a butt, stealing every baby he can, and Kenai just lets him. But sometimes he refuses to let go!

They had some rumpus time, and when the sun started coming up, I fed my boy his breakfast. To get at least some ”normal” we went upstairs after his meal and hit the beds. They’ve been such good boys through all this. Not getting their exercise, little attention or play time.

What play time they get is in the form of unusual toys, like an empty 2 liter bottle or an empty rice jar to roll around. Different toys are mentally exciting to them, making up for the boredom a bit. Anything interesting so I can sit down while they play will do! 

Today’s plan is go to the cafe for breakfast and gas up the car, then a quickie run to the vet for a weight. Then I want Mom to drop me off at home; I’ll stay home with the boys, so they can be out and have a bit of play. They won’t be alone that way, something closer to normal.

Once she gets the rest of the errands done and gets home, it’s “bedtime for bonzo”, and I’ll race ya; last one under the sheets is a rotten egg. Oddly, Kenai still cannot stand to be covered up. Neither of the boys will tolerate it. They grab the blanket and wrestle it off.

Home’s my plan and I’m stickin to it! Can’t take much more of the running about all day–already got laid down by a left side migraine Monday, for the first time in over a year. Normally my migraines will hit on the right side, or crown of the head, but those left ones…

Left siders are monsters, and can blow up fast as a gale, putting me down quick as 15 minutes. I go nearly blind from the auras, lose coordination, slur my speech, vomit uncontrollably, and actually cry. I’ve walked on broken bones before, but the lefties make me cry they hurt so bad.

 

On a better note, the rain here has cooled things off somewhat, so perhaps the boys will get a nice long romp outside. They are enjoying their new box of bones, demolishing the evidence. And a trip to the puppy store for food is in their near future. Maybe that will give them some happy, huh?

I get as much fun watching them be happy as they do being happy. Hard not to, sweet boys.

Billygoats and Sensitive Thugs…by Lisa Harmon June 19, 2009

Hey, a new picture…I actually took one! Kenai waking up the nose, 18 mo

Kenai had a lovely wake up today; he got to go out to the kennel just as the sun was coming up. He’s suddenly not a “morning person”, and has started giving me trouble about eating his breakfast. Lunch and supper is never skipped, but breakfast is being left in the bowl regularly now.

I thought some nose in the grass time, a little exercise, might just stimulate his appetite. He ate. Then refused to even go to the field, let alone poo. So he’s full of it today, and I’m teasing him about being full of it. He backtalks, I tease some more, he gets huffy and gnaws the devil out of his new bone. Stinker!

At least he ate…he can’t exactly go without the calories. When he starts losing weight Kenai can drop a pound or more a day. Maybe I should take him down to 2 meals a day? He gets 6 cups a day spread out into 3 meals. He’d be hungrier in the morning with just 2 meals, in theory at least.

His brother is the total opposite. BB eats like a shop vac. Little bro is getting 8-8 1/2 cups of food a day, and is looking some better. Most days I can only see a rib or two. There’s more muscle on his chest as well. Still, that’s a lot of food. Piglet.

Oh, and BB has a new meaning: billygoat boy. He’s taken to head butting, like some bony sack of silly. I don’t mind when I’m sitting down and it’s part of playtime, but Billygoat Boy phwumps ya if you’re not moving to the kitchen fast enough to suit him.  He’s something else, that pup.

BB stands for many things, by the way; bent bottoms, bugger boy, banana butt, baby boy, and now billygoat boy is added to the list. He has so many nicknames, I can hardly remember them all anymore–he does a goofy every 20 minutes and usually gets a new moniker at least once a week!

OT, I’ve come across some good links about Lyme disease, some of which are symptom lists, and some are studies the of persistant and recurring bouts of active illness my doc refers to as chronic Lyme. http://www.lymeinfo.net/lymefiles.html Here is also a good link about the treatment. http://www.lymenet.org/BurrGuide200810.pdf 

Lyme disease patients can experience symptoms such attention problems, short-term memory loss, depression, panic attacks, personality changes, mood swings, and/or learning disabilities. That’s what’s driving me bonkers right now, in addition to the fatigue and pain.

A link to medical summaries for the neurological effects, http://www.lymeinfo.net/neuropsych.html  

Yeah, I know, the blog is supposed to be about Kenai and his training, but Lyme is a rotten, insidious infection so I’ll stick this under the heading of public service announcement. Ya’ll be careful, use your repellants, okay?

When it comes to Kenai’s training, I’m gonna have to start over with the name games and such: a couple weeks off and we’re back to square one. We took my brother off life support last week, and he’s still lingering poor guy. At least he’s not suffering in any way. He’s got some great nurses.

When he does pass away and the funeral is over, I’ll take another week or two to rest. All the walking and going places the past 19 days…I’m outta juice and on the pain pills again. I’ll gear up and get back to work soon, returning to our usual schedule of play, feeding, practice, and outings.

It’ll probably take a week or two to get Kenai over his sads and sorrows. He’s been crated so much, and had very little run time or attention. He’s a sensitive thug, my wee papoose, and been swinging between cuddly and pouty. Aww. Poor sweetie. Things’ll get normal soon.

Inside Up & Downside Out…by Lisa Harmon June 15, 2009

Kenai flaked out, 11 wks old

Hey I found another Great Dane pup in training to be a service dog! http://smartdog.typepad.com/smart_dog/ His name is Talos, and he’s a lovely chunk of 11 wk old merlequin. Oh and does he have a self assured presence! He’s going to be fun to watch grow up. (Maybe I’ll learn some things too?)

I remember when Kenai was a tiny young tank of a toffee toddles, and seeing Talos made me grin nice and wide. I occasionally wish we hadn’t been sidetracked with the health and personality changes that happened from the Ehrlichia infection. Or at least that it had been diagnosed much, much earlier. But what is, is, and I’ve learned alot because of it.

He was such a solid stinker by 16 weeks, trotting into anywhere like he owned the joint and nothing got him in a flap. As easy as he was, I still kick myself for not being more deliberate and wide ranging about his socialization at that age, ie reward attention and calmness for things that didn’t even bother him then, like loud noises or crowds.

Pups are pups and they can develop skittishness of things later on, and I didn’t have the foundation in place to redirect any sudden shyness of noises or movements. Talos’ trainer calls it learning how to learn. I should’ve had other people take him places I couldn’t safely go, too.

While I’m at the wishing, I wish too that I had started out clicker training him. That lays such a strong foundation right from the start, giving you and the pup the tools to work through anything. “You don’t like that? Hey look at that, click/treat, what a good boy!” It’s really amazing how a clicker affects a pup.

I know I’ve said it before, but one of the best things clicker training does is change the handler’s perspective. Instead of looking for the “oops, not right”, and being ready to correct, clicker training teaches you to look for and reward the “that’s right”. There’s more “that’s right” than “not right”, and makes the whole experience more rewarding.

It also changes the perspective of the “not right”, from a mistake to fix into part of the learning process. Just an oops, we can start from there. A pup that sits sideways instead of in the heel can be rewarded for ooching! Bring the rump closer, click/treat. Get the rump in the right spot, click/jackpot treats!

Of course, clicker training takes 3 things: patience, time, and the willingness to have doggie treats stashed in every pocket. It’s best to turn pockets inside out before tossing in the washer…but once the foundation is laid, there really is absolutely nothing you can’t get a dog to want to do for you.

Well, maybe with the exception of getting Kenai in the pool. But then, I’m pretty much too lazy to work that long and hard now. If I’d known how to go about it better when he was little…? Nah, he doesn’t even like dew on the grass. Prissy boy. Typical Dane: don’t get me wet.

The perspective change naturally flows into every part of life; a tantrum throwing 2 year old is more easily redirected when you’ve practiced on the dog. And looking for the good reduces the tendency to become irritated or discouraged by the bad stuff that hits ya. Inconveniences happen.

Clicker training’s not likely to turn a sourpuss into a pollyanna, but even the sourpuss can become less sour to be around. Just think, all this longwindedness from seeing a pic of a 11 wk old pup. It don’t take much to get me going. I entertain myself easily.

***

Well, the boys are still crated way more than usual, while we wait now for my brother to pass away. Kenai’s whiney and restless, stubborn about not getting enough outside time. BB’s being a really silly butt, like holding it until he comes back inside to pee on the floor last night…

We stayed home with them yesterday, but the off and running starts again today with funeral arrangements. I’m taking Kenai with me though this morning, since there’s a few needful errands. I’ll probably drop Mom off at the hospital and go run them myself, but who knows at 6 am what 9 am will bring?

I did give them each a soda pop carton to play with yesterday, and I stretched it out as long as the cardboard would hold up to the slobber. And later BB’s sad hound eyes triggered a clicker training practice. He perks up the moment it comes out, and has so much fun doing his tricks for treats.

Still, the distractions aren’t enough to undo the blahs from schedule changes that have been happening. Hopefully soon, my wee ones, soon we’ll go back to normal life. I didn’t even take any pictures of them last week. Maybe that’s what the mopey is for–I’m ruining their star status for want of fresh pics? Ha!

Despite the stress, the boys are looking better as far as body condition. I’ll get Kenai weighed today, but you can tell from looking at them that even BB has more meat on them thar bones. I don’t like how dark Kenai’s urine is, but the vet has a sample and is running some tests to be sure he’s okay.

Our world is somewhat inside-up and downside-out at the moment. Poor pups, and poor peoples too. If I could get a halfway respectable andrenaline dump they’d have their usual amount of play and run. No dice, the glands are on strike, holding out for better retirement benefits or something.

I’m gonna at least try to reinstate one clicker practice before a meal for the boys, to entertain them and provide some exercise. The distance work, like “find grammy”, or name games where they have to find me gives them a chance to charge about some, all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

That’d be fun for ‘em. I could do that, I bet. Maybe that’ll get the inside up back down a little, huh?

Not much fun for the boys…by Lisa Harmon June 11, 2009

Kenai’s got an onery about to strike! 18 mo

Saturday was more normal for the pups, and with a face like this one showing, it was time for some outside fun and entertainment. This is his getting onery frustrated face, from too much crate dwelling and couch snoozing. Out we went, as much for my sanity as his.

I managed to whack down the weeds in the kennel with a scythe, since the push mower’s bag continues its disappearance. It’s really not safe for him with high weeds, but with nearly everything cut down, I left him a small tuft of Johnson’s grass to barrel through. He loves his tall grass, funny boy.

Of course with things being different, he had to check out the perimeter first. Kenai is somewhat methodical about things…

But eventually he decided it was time to see what’s this, the tempting little chia-head tuft of just right for ambush cover grass!

He walked all around it, starting from the other side of where he’s at in this picture. He’d sniff from top to bottom and bottom to top.

I was ticked that I missed a pic of him sticking his head inside for a smell. It was funny too, poking his head through the rest of the way to peek at me. Just a Kenai face sticking out of the grass, his body hidden.

But I got that one above, and this one that followed. With little bro running about watching, he whipped out a “It’s my chia head tuft and I won’t share” attitude. Stinker.

Then to totally tease BB, Kenai grabbed up the jolly ball and flung it around at the edges of the kennel. It’d hit ground and BB’d run over, only to find he couldn’t get it through the chain link. Meanie!

I let that go on awhile, then provided a really big cool stick for BB to tease Kenai with! Turn about is fair play in the littermate games, ya know.

I really did let them run too long, and Kenai needed some liniment to nap comfortably. But they were having so much fun, and the weather was cool enough not to have to cut things short. Some outside times they don’t want to gallop about much, but when they do they have a ball together.

***

Sunday and Monday was spent mostly at home. Kenai seems to be getting restless and bored in the afternoons. Guess that means I need to find the energy to get a second playtime going after our nap? Oh my…darn fatigue.

I took Kenai into the convenience store Sunday, no gentle leader. The only trouble he gave me was a determined to sniff with one person. He didn’t settle at my side or in front of me either at the counter. But he didn’t have the willies this time. He really seems to be calming back down-yay!

Unfortunately today Kenai will have another couple hours of crating; it’s too hot to leave him in the car for heaven knows how long while Mom and I talk with the hospital staff about what to do next about my brother.

We were supposed to have time with the trainer today, but that’s fallen through for today. I’ll give her a call later. The boys have so much fun with her, someone new and interesting to interact with. She always has the coolest toys, too.

Okay, this post is a little boring, but then, I’m boring these days worn down by the hospital stuff. I was really surprised by how little adrenaline reserve I had, expecting a bit more “up” to hold off the “down”.

Yeesh, Kenai says, what happened to my fun?! “Well if ya liked the pool kid…”

A pool puppy he’s not though, not even close. He’ll look at it. He’ll hang out on the deck, unlike his brother. But getting in is not going to happen, not in this life. He prefers to make me melt in the summer humidity stomping about on dry land. Landlubber…

***

The next few days will be very hot and very busy for me, which means the crate for Kenai some more. Poor kiddo. He’s so sweet about it, and I do my best to get him out every day for run time, or off on a car ride when it’s cool. It’s a hard knock life, all the same, being crated!

We took the boys with us last night to the cafe, and left the car running with the air on. Those two…they fussed with each other the whole time. They don’t do it when we’re in the car but nip and fuss when we leave them. Kenai will lay down, and BB will nip the pointy ears…Boys!

I swear I can hear the dialogue, too. “He touched me!”, “Shut up!”, “He’s breathing on me!”, “Ma! Make him leave me alone.”, “He started it”, “Are we leaving yet?”

It was funny, I stepped out into the parking lot at one point and scolded them to knock it off. Someone cracked they were bad as kids, and got a huge laugh when the Brother’s Grin poked their heads out of the car looking contrite. They returned to the nippy as soon as I was out of sight.

Today will be a tough day, starting with going to wallyworld for something decent to wear for my brother’s funeral, then going to the hospital again, to be with him when the life support is taken off. Kenai will get to go riding to Walmart, then it’s the crate.

Maybe we’ll have another outside play time in the afternoon, and a long nap together. I hope so. Together time is happy time, as far as dogs are concerned. They may be onto something…

Ambush Puppy…by Lisa Harmon June 6, 2009

Heeerree’sss BB! 18 mo old

Sometimes I like to get pics of BB up, and since I haven’t finished tinkering with any of Kenai’s pics this week, today was a perfect opportunity. He’s just popped out from behind the miscanthus, playing ring around the rosie with me.

He had a big day yesterday too, little BB; he went to the vet with me in the afternoon (oh how I miss my naps). He’s 120 pounds, up a bit, and the vet agrees he feels more deep muscle groups than he did last time. The only icky was the thermometer in his behind–everything else was just hanging out while I talked to the vet.

BB’s hormones turned out normal, so I can’t tease Mom that he’ll go through menopause when he’s neutered. Shucks. No girlie-clothes shopping for BB either, boo-hoo. Mom would say ‘oh hush’ right about now!

Then Beebs went to the puppy store! We didn’t buy anything, but he wandered all over for a short time. We had some peek a boo games, and find me, and get your tushie, then he settled himself on a mat to watch the goings on in the street. After the nervousness of the vet visit, he enjoyed this.

Of course Kenai wasn’t keen on being left while I went off with little bro…but he got his car ride that morning. Nothing special, but it was a car ride with me AND his “grammy”. Happy! With my brother in the hospital, he’s been crated more this week than ever before, and it’s hard on him.

Hard enough in fact that he’s lost 4 pounds and has too soft poo. Uhg. So since my brother is going to remain on life support for awhile, and the all-day no napping is kicking my butt…I’ve decided to go back to our regular home routine as much as possible.

That means our morning outings will include a hospital visit with one or maybe two stops where Kenai can get out with me. We’re reinstating the afternoon nap times, and the outside play times. Evenings I’ll try to stay home with the boys, and restart the pre-meal obedience practices. 

Neither pup has had much play time all week, the poor guys. It shows. BB was wound up tight, and Kenai was whiney with tummy troubles, puppy pimples, and sore legs. Poor pups. Even the new box of bones don’t make it better when all is wrong (awww, sad sorrows moose face).

We’ve not seen any snakes this week, but I need to get another box of mothballs and enlarge the perimeter: the farther away from the house them ol’ snakes are the better. And I need to cut the grass again, maybe Sunday. And I must find the attatchments and get the push mower in the kennel.

I’ve been saving a cardboard soda carton until it had a mate, so the two ‘ay maties had one each to ravage. And since I’ll put the corned beef and cabbage in a pot this afternoon, there will be pretty black noses all around the stove with me. Such tempting targets for smoochies!

Tuesday we meet with Kenai’s trainer. We haven’t set a place yet, but it is blessedly in the morning when I still have some go in the engine. He is starting to relax and be more confident in public, so I’d like to capitalize on that trend.

Kenai’s started another trend: he likes to move by the curtains so the ends of them run down his back. “Here I am!” He’s doing that with houseplants too, walking by them so they rub his back. Playing ambush puppy?

Well here’s hoping that my plans make next week better for the boys, more normal. That’d be good for us all. “Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise” as they say ’round here. Ya’ll have a good weekend, too. I will if you will!

Summer Hath Come…by Lisa Harmon June 2, 2009

Playing makes a boy feel good, Kenai 17 mo

This week the boys are 18 mo old, and their box of bones should come just in time. They won’t have a clue why they’re getting new bones, but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying the windfall! Chomp, chomp.

Summer has officially started here: we saw our first poisonous snake Saturday. It was a small copperhead, but small is big enough with those things. We also have cotton mouths and the occasional rattlesnake, though they aren’t as frequently sited. Any of them are bad news.

This snake was right next to the sidewalk too, so after an unsuccessful attempt to kill it with a lawn dethatching rake, out came the box of mothballs. We can’t cut that side yard until the guys we’ve hired come and get what’s left of the fallen tree out of it, so the grass is way too tall not to interest snakes.

The fragrance coming through the open windows is now a mix of roses blooming wildly on the arbor and mothballs. Oh, and chlorine from the pool. Ah yes, the fresh air of summer…

Sunday I really enjoyed the summer day, getting the grass cut, getting all sweaty, getting unsweaty in the pool, getting a slight sunburn, getting some cantalope for lunch. It had that relaxed summertime feel to it, ya know? A nice way to spend my birthday.

Late afternoon I was settle down for my nap when the phone rang. It finally happened: my brother had a giant heart attack. He’s had signs of imminent doom for some 15 years now, but wouldn’t do what the docs told him he had to, like watching his diet, exercising, etc. He turned 40 Saturday. 

He’s in ICU, being kept unconscious and his body temp down. He had really low oxygen for his brain for a very long time, and there’s no way to know just yet if the ischemia has damaged his brain or heart muscle. 

So any of you 40 somethings out there who aren’t walking the line with your triglycerides and blood pressure etc, you pay attention better than he did! People under 50 are more likely to die where they fall and not come back. He had to be shocked over a dozen times in 2 hours. His daughter is just 3 years old.

He made it through the night, having only one incident of arrythmia early on, so he’s pretty much stable right now. He was deliberately kept pretty much comatose for 72 hours then slowly brought up to see what happens. Today, in fact, his body temp was brought up and sedation lessened.

Mom will certainly be at the hospital alot. I’ll be staying home since there’s repair guys coming to the house and the new TV is being delivered. Somebody has to be home for that, but the CICU gave us numbers to call, and keep me pretty well informed.

***

Kenai’s trainer, Lisa (the other Lisa, not me) will be back from vacation and here for a training session Friday. Guess that means I need to gear up again, and get more serious about our practices. That reason, and Kenai’s being a crochety fart.

“Don’t wanna”, “rather not” expressions are seen on his face too frequently this past week, the stink. But his personality is really calming down-yay, happy dance, yay-and he’s actually much much easier to handle outside. He gets right out and does his business, some sniffing before and after the scrap piles naturally. He is a nose-oriented dog.

Twice since last post we’ve seen running animals, and Kenai stopped instantly on “Kenai, no!”. He wasn’t foot shifting, whining, hopping or going bonkers, either. I’m sure the kennel run time helped, but omg how wonderful it was. I’m finding myself relaxing now, because I can!

I haven’t gotten a weight on him this week yet, but I can tell from looking and the feel of his body that he’s gained muscle. The doxacycline I believe is working, killing off those nasty Ehrlichia bacteria.

His eyes are still reddish, and he’s definitely still sore in the hocks, shoulders and knees popping some. He doesn’t seem to be in as much pain, though. He’s really bugging me to go play more than he has in months. I’ll have to reinstate the daily runtimes.

And joy of joys to my budget, he’s been able to switch back to just kibble instead of half kibble, half hamburger. No major reflux, gas, or bad poo. Regular two a day stools, with more yellow than I’d like and a slight softness at time, but yeesh this is a major improvement.

BB hasn’t changed as dramatically, but it’s only been 2 weeks since starting the antibiotic. He was really far gone in his body condition; you could literally see every bone and joint. If either pup looked like a chronic case, it was Beebs, wasted away to skin and bones.

It may be wishful thinking but I believe there’s more deep muscle on BB that is felt with the hands more than seen with the eyes–intercostal muscles in the rib cage, stronger abdominals etc. It can take a month or more for the treatment to show results in body condition. So I’m simply watching.

It’s somewhat aggravating, the thousands and thousands we’ve spent on their vet care, all because of a tick bite no one noticed. We are with these guys 24/7, they are almost never alone, and we still missed it.

***

There’s more to jabber about but I’m short on time and really need to get this post up. I’ll settle in for a long winded post next time if I get a chance!

May 28, 2009

Oh what fun it is to run, Kenai 17 mo

Since Kenai is either feeling good enough or not good enough to be showing me his stubborn butt, I decided to think happier thoughts, Peter Pan style. Especially since he nailed me with one of those sasquatch paws during playtime, right in the face. Grrr.  

Durn it, we’ve had a “no feet” rule since day one, but he won’t completely give it up. Just when I think he’s stopped the swats…I get a black eye for my birthday. He’s not totally fun right now, so I’ll ruminate on what I love about him and dogs in general for awhile. How ’bout that?

One of the most endearing qualities of dogs is how simple and inexpensive it is to play with them. Unlike two legged kids, they don’t need a wii, a nintendo, a $300 iphone, or other pricy toys to be entertained. They don’t really need toys at all to have a good time.

Of course, my boy’s toy boxes (plural) are hardly bare pickings, despite their occasional boredom with what’s in it. But sticks, plastic bottles, rocks to chase, bugs to pounce on, butterflies, turtles to roll around, and other good doggie toys are free, and played with equally well as a $30 puzzle toy.

After many years with dogs that weren’t up to the heavier exercise and play as their healthier counterparts, I’ve found lots of little ways to keep them engaged and entertained without running about. I also discovered it isn’t the game half so much as the interaction with me that brought them happiness.

These fun things translate very well to healthy dogs too. Some dogs need a bit more than average attention to be mentally satisfied, and some just have a tendency to entertain themselves in unwanted ways. (Oh, dogs never do that…where’s my sock?)

One great game is “blankie monster”, well documented in past posts. If your dog has so much as a shred of chase instict in them, this will be a game they bug you mercilessly to play with them. The slipper snitch is also frequently mentioned here. Then there’s always the pillow smush.

Having fun with a dog doesn’t have to be a structured sort of game though. There’s opportunites all day long if you’re able to take longer getting dressed or cooking dinner. The “little moments” are sort of hit and run, they don’t last long, but ya go from one to the next while doing what ya need to do.

I’ll be changing clothes, and deposit my britches on Kenai’s head. He’ll flop around getting them off until it’s time to put them in the hamper. He’s not a clothing shredder, thankfully, so he’ll get “bra head” or “t-shirt head” teasing. Blankets, dirty sheets you’re taking off…you name it.

Blow a note on an empty soda bottle, and you’ll have a dog’s attention right away. Tease them with a little keep away, then toss the bottle on a slick surface so it makes itself hard to catch. BB will go bonkers spinning it and chasing. I don’t know how he doesn’t make himself sea-sick!

You can play fetch with dogs so inclined while sorting emails (or anything else). Toss the toy or a plastic bottle with beans inside and off they go. When they come back, play a bit of tuggie, do a bit of smoochie, or whatever your dog thinks is fun. Then toss it again.

Kenai gets to have a noisy ball in the kitchen while I cook. He can pounce and chase and get as rumpusy as he wants, too. Sometimes we play puppy soccer: he swats it my way, I tap it back his way, and he’ll give it the biggest widow rattling polar bear pounce you ever saw.

Every once in awhile, the ball gets to close to me (oh no!), and I steal it. I put it in the fridge, or set it in the potato basket. He does his very best to beg, bitch, and demand, then I’ll open the fridge for him to get his ball back. Sometimes I even bounce it off the lower cabinets.

Outside, sticks are free. BB loves to butt bump and tease you “ha ha I got it”, and he gets his game of “tickly puppy”, where I tap my fingers all over him like I’m trying to crawl them up his body to get the stick. Gives him a big case of the wiggles, funny boy.

All my dogs loved leaf piles. So they had one sacrifical pile to play in while I raked up the rest. Pounce in the pile, and grab the tushie when they weren’t looking. That sets off goober zoomies. Toss their ball in the pile and they root around flinging wet leaves in every direction. 

BB will even play pick up sticks, if he gets to run around with it for a moment or two. Then he’ll carry it right to the spot I want the pile, and drop it there. Then we go back to the rake, and he waits for another pop up stick to grab.

Taj was a rock chaser. He never brought them back, but there is no shortage of rocks to throw around here. So when he found one rock I’d thrown at the edge of the field, I’d toss another over yonder. He’d follow the sound and go find it, over and over.

Brazos initiated the “tushie game”. He would run right by you as fast as he could, and see can you get my tushie. As he started getting tired, the tushie game morphed into goose the bottoms and get a play bow, and if I jumped with both feet near him, there was a bigfoot bark and off he went in a zoomie.

Even dusting becomes a game. Tickle your nose, get too close and get a smoochie. Run to the toy box, bring a toy and have some tuggie, then dust some more. Whatever you are doing, dogs want to be a part of it. That’s how they teach us to stop the outta my way get-r-done.

I don’t pretend to be a fraction of the busy most people are, but a little ingenuity and willingness will pop ideas into your head for you and your dog. It’s really just slowing down long enough for a moment together.

***

Another thing I do when Kenai’s being fussy is go play with BB. Beebs is a breathing cartoon. Scooby got nothin’ on that boy! Like the other night, Beebs had finished his supper, and I was making mine. Mom was trying very hard to get his mouth wiped, gentle leader on, and out the door with him.

Not! I was making something to eat, so he was dancing around her slobber towel and zipping over this side of the island then that side. Mom was getting irritated, but it was so funny I couldn’t help myself. BB is persistence personified and wearing a fur coat!

After laughing at him and deliberately playing ring around the island a  few minutes, I shooed him over to the door, and grabbed a little bit of a treat. He held stock still, staring at that treat until he’d had his mouth wiped and gentle leader put on. Gettin in trouble successfully avoided.

And yesterday BB had a butterfly chase. He loves that. We get those blue ones where they’ve peed, and he gets all silly spun around chasing them. Best game in town. Of course with BB, any game is the best game in town while it’s being played. He’s not persnickity.

***

Saturday is my birthday, I’ll be 38 (how’d that happen?). My brother’s birthday is Friday. We’re 2 years and 1 day apart. Odd huh? Last year some friends took me out to my favorite high chinese place. I don’t go there often, just because it’s more expensive than take out/buffet spots. But I love that restaurant.

Tonight I get to go there with Mom and a black eye!  Then Saturday we’re going out again with my brother, and our friends Wade & Melba. None of them care much for Chinese, hence the two dinner birthday. That’s okay, I can suffer through a Brazillian steakhouse, don’t ya think?

Odder still, Kenai and BB are getting the presents: I ordered the crate and bones. Beebs will have some new digs, and Kenai can stop with the pitiful about the state of his bone box. Between the funnies surrounding the new crate, and the quiet from them chewing away…present enough.

. 

What a Wonderful Problem…by Lisa Harmon May 28, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

boy bottoms...

Kenai’s hanging tough, sweet guy. He’s 7 days into a 6 week course of doxacycline, and I think he has just a tiny bit more muscle on his shoulders. He’s gained weight, at least. Of course, it can take a long time to see results so I am keeping a guarded eye on any improvement I see. I’m prone to wishful thinking.

The antibiotic makes him hurt and slightly nauseated, just like it does me. We’re both being treated for tick borne diseases, me with Lyme and him with Ehrlichia, for new readers of his blog. I was hoping he wouldn’t have the pain and nausea from his treatment the way I do.

http://home.earthlink.net/~hawkeye87/Ehrlichiosis%20Page.htm is a very good site for information about Ehrlichiosis, a particularly deadly tick disease. A good site to begin with about Lyme in dogs is http://www.lymediseaseindogs.net/ Anaplasmosis is another tick borne disease that can really wreak havoc. 

I’ve restarted Kenai’s Primal Defense probiotic twice a day to help his tum, choosing that one for it’s supposed ability to control yeast as well. Yeast overgrowths are rotten, and can make a puppy person feel rotten so if he doesn’t have to endure that as well, I’m happy. 

His lovely boy bottom pic above got snapped on Memorial day, after I noticed he was just too quiet. He was up to something, not being on his couch. Ever so silently the big pillow on my bed found itself getting the bull elephant smush treatment.

“But why can’t I smush your pillows too?” Such pretty boy-wrinkles…He has his own pillows, but everything is funner when it’s a no-no, you know. So he was told to get his own pillow and leave mine alone. Kenai being Kenai, he came up with a solution to the problem.

 ”If I can’t smush, maybe I can nibble.”

Tuesday was a busy day, going first to the bank, then the puppy store for kibble (happy), and finally the vet (happier: he gained weight!). I noticed while waiting for the store to open that Kenai was calmer. Not totally relaxed, but overall less tense than he has been the past few months.

He seemed less disturbed by some things like flapping flags, and confident enough to have to be scolded for trying to mark, twice. Hum. That’s a pleasant surprise. Maybe he was just having a good day, so I refused to let my wishful thinking take over! But it sure made me feel good, ya know.

Once home again, I had planned on staying home until Mom and BB came back from their errands. The legs were awfully weak. Didn’t work out that way; after much haggling, I drove and Kenai flew co-pilot for Mom’s errands too. Poor Beebs. I made her promise he’s going out with her Wed or Thursday.

I expected Kenai to start becoming jumpier like he usually does with too much time in public, but he didn’t. In fact he was calm and even inquisitive inside State Farm, at the gas company, and our other stops. We had a four hour outing. Wow! Ouch, too.

Okay, I am absurdly thrilled to have to uh-uh him for checking out off limit things on his own initiative instead of hiding behind me. I gave him a lot more leash than ya would a solid SD in training, didn’t ask him to down or anything. All I wanted was not to pull his leash and help me with curbs or getting up and down.

He did it, too, perfectly fine thank you very much! Atta boy…

Kenai’s far, far away just yet from a serious SD candidate again, but his composure was a big shot in the arm. I knew my master-of-his-universe boy was still in there somewhere, and it was absolutely gratifying to see him not scared of his own shadow.  

And when we got home, he heard a truck and tried heading out front. Ouch some more. He had only his collar, no gentle leader. But he stopped after the leash ran out of room and that was the only yank. The only yank! He stopped on his own and returned to get my fat butt up the back steps when I asked.

It was such a good doggie day I have to be careful not to expect the next day out to be that good! What a wonderful problem to have…