All posts for the month May, 2011

Mr Rebound…by Lisa Harmon

There’s my Beautiful…Kenai 3 yrs

If I survive this week, come Saturday I’ll be in so low of a low gear my hindquarters’ll have road rash! Well the kitchen remodel crew didn’t come Monday, and I don’t expect to see them today (Tues). Grrrr. Let’s get this over with durn it. That may yet be a blessing in disguise though, as today both the Lowe’s truck and the trash truck are coming. How to fit so many large vehicles?

I steamed the floors after spraying with Lysol again, so the stinkydogcarpet smells like lemons. For now. And my plans to buy a carpet cleaner have been postponed, since I’m getting warnings to upgrade Windows and Explorer. Uh huh, my laptop won’t support the upgrade you see. Planned obsolescence. I’ll have to buy a refurbished laptop.

Since I have to upgrade everything, I may get a larger screen laptop. Easier on the eyes means I’ll get to stay online longer without risking a migraine. Maybe there’s another blessing in disguise? When ya get to looking, they pop up everywhere! Well, most everywhere.

I had my first shower in 2 weeks Monday, all spanky clean for sleeping in clean sheets. Oh my that felt good. A sink soap just doesn’t have the same effect. Kenai appreciated the clean sheets too. There was less flopping about on my bed last night. So nice. Undisturbed.

***

This post is long overdue and didn’t get far in it’s writing because BB ate half a 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters, bones and all Tuesday. All week I’ve stayed up with him at night, watching and waiting for him to obstruct for the 3rd time in his 3 1/2 yrs of life.

After Thursday morning there were no more stools but he didn’t seem to be in distress. Thing with BB is, he doesn’t show distress until he’s in a terrible fix, with its subsequent long recovery afterwards. Tough pup, that one, seriously tough pup. And with the holiday weekend coming up…

Friday I just said “do the x-rays”, and boy it did not look good. His colon was distended, all gas and no food, and all the food was in the small intestines. So boy had that surgery, getting all cleaned out. The surgeon didn’t find bones or much inflammation to speak of there in the colon; hopefully he won’t have any problem recovering. Mr Rebound did it again!

Beebs should come home today sometime, to his own bed and a bothersome big bro that spent a night without him pacing the floor. No doubt once the howdy-do’s and happy to see you wiggles are over, we all will settle down for a big splushy nap. We all could use it. So glad we intervened when we did…

3 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on May 28, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Kenai

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on May 28, 2011

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/mr-rebound-by-lisa-harmon/

Feeding a Dane…by Lisa Harmon

not one of my pups, but reminded me too much of BB to pass up!

Building on the recent theme of puppies (reason: a friend has a new Dane pup)…This time the subject is their physical development. What you feed your Great Dane pup is terribly important.

The old myth is that too much protien is bad, the culprit of growth deformities like hip dysplasia, growing pains, PANO, and HOD. I gotta say

NO NO NO NO NO…

Seriously, there are nutritional studies on giant breeds like Great Danes going back to the 70′s dispelling the myth of protien is bad. The cause of bone problems is mineral malabsorption. Too much calcium and phosphorus causes bone growth deformities.

Even common sense tells you protien is responsible for muscle growth, minerals for bone growth, same as it is for humans. Who takes protien supplements to help with osteoporosis? Nobody. People take calcium to have strong bones, right? No different for dogs.

There’s a page over yonder with links to the studies and details if you want to learn more.The long story shortened is your Dane pup needs a limited mineral intake to lessen the growth problems giants are prone to.

That means you have to check the food bags, and keep the calcium at or below 1.2%, and phosphorus at or below 0.9%. Then the pup will grow more evenly and have fewer risks of bone and joint issues.

If you feed raw, I strongly suggest limiting the amount of bones your giant breed puppy gets with their meals, compared to a smaller breed. And keep in mind red meats tend to have higher phosphorus levels than white meats; a chicken meal can get away with more bone in it than a beef meal.

Some research suggests wild game has a lower potential for causing inflammatory responses such as in arthritis or tummy troubles. Wish I’d kept the link to post here, but maybe a google will turn it up again. The cost of raw for a giant is substantial, so having a hunter in the family/friend list can be a godsend!

And for males, neutering early can result in much faster growth in the long bones than waiting until 12-18 months old. Not sure why, but testosterone seems to be involved in how the skeleton develops.

If you can and will contend with potential marking or guarding in an intact adolescent male, I would suggest waiting to neuter. Particularly if your Dane boy seems to be growing a bit too fast naturally.

Dane pups grow in gigantic spurts, often as much as 1/2″ taller and 5 pounds in a single week. Their bodies sorta see saw, with the butt growing higher than the shoulders, then the shoulders growing higher than the butt…they are in general bony, lanky, clumsy, and silly-cute looking until around 8-12 mo old!

They wake up in a new body after every nap! Sometimes getting the backend and front end to go in the same direction can be a challenge (grin). I kinda know what it feels like (grin again).

Giant breeds are like toy breeds in that they are a specialty in the dog world, and have considerations that other average breeds won’t. But if ya ask me, there is nothing like a Dane to satisfy the dog lover in you. They are frighteningly smart, above average sensitive, and always pure in love with you.

***

Back at the construction site we call our new bathroom…scaredy pup has had a weekend to recover himself before the kitchen remodel begins. This time there’ll be a whole crew here. Maybe more scary but over faster?

The boys are still loose together again, with only some minor “uh-uh boys” when K gets the hump little bro urge or BB gets too carried away with playtime. I’ve been extra careful not to be irritable, since I’m feeling poorly this week (fibro pain, CFS/ME weakness, migraines).

Mom’s off the steriods now too, so the ‘roidy crank is toning down, to the boy’s relief. BB has made a permanent indentation next to MY chair to give ya some idea. He’d be in trouble if we’re both cranky…

They’ve had lots of sleep, but not much outside time to speak of with my parts not doing well. Maybe today. I’ve had no ambition at all this weekend, not to go get gas for the mower, not even to go to the grocery. Maybe today. Or maybe not…grin.

3 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on May 22, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Kenai

Tagged calcium, chronic fatigue, dog behavior, dog food, dysplasia, great dane growth, great dane puppies, Great Danes, HOD, littermates, neutering, pano, panosteitis, phosphorus, raw dog food, veterinary care

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on May 22, 2011

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/feeding-a-dane-by-lisa-harmon/

Boobie Head Brothers…by Lisa Harmon

Out for a jog…Kenai 3 yrs

Here’s some info on the super puppy program I mentioned last post: http://superpuppy.com/ You can buy the book there or at http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=super+puppy&tag=mh0b-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=21189163&ref=pd_sl_4pth0zr40_p if you’d care to.

The part that can be frustrating is half of the birth to 16 wk development period is missed by a new puppy’s owner. We have to rely on the breeder to stimulate and socialize the pup for the life they will live with us.

And those first weeks are the single most important determinator of how well a pup will handle stress. Also important to me and others looking for an SD candidate, is those first weeks are when the work drive is most deeply set.

An additional difficulty is the 8 weeks when your new pup comes home with you is when a fear imprint stage begins: even small frights can imprint forever if the pup lacked the best pre-8 wk stimulation and social exposure.

Before 8 weeks is the best time to expose a puppy to the usual phobia culprits: loud noises, clanging pots, crying babies, wheelchairs, screaming kids, stairs and the like.

If you are owner-training your next service dog, the pick of breeder is more important than the pick of the litter in some ways. Most breeders aren’t full timers, ie they have jobs, social lives, and families.

They most all love their dogs and yet sometimes just lack of time or not knowing how to best prepare a pup can become a problem later on if your pup has a big harness to fill.

I hope that when the time comes for a new little love for me, I will be able to find a breeder who is flexible and accomodating. My wish would be that they would allow me to observe and interact with the litter before 8 wks, using the same stimulus and socializing techniques that SD programs use on their puppies.

The work drive and stress handling ability is very crucial for an SD, and is developed mostly before 8 wks. But don’t go getting the idea you’ll take a pup at 6 weeks or anything: they need their litter to learn bite inhibition and doggie manners. You can have a real problem child if you take them home too early.

As for the stink like a dog carpet saga…a thorough spraying once or twice a week with a concentrated lysol solution seems to be holding the smellies at bay! In a month or two I will buy a carpet cleaner, just not now. There’s gardens to work on you know…

Our new shower is in progress! ‘Course till it’s done I do my soapy in the sink since we had the two old showers taken out to make one nice big one. Good thing I cut my hair off! The maiden voyage of that shower will be of long duration, lemme tell ya.

And guess who’s been loose together for 3 days now? NO IT COULDN’T BE THE BOOBIE HEAD BROTHERS?! Yeah, actually, it is. They’ve been stressed with the construction work, and are more concerned with comforting each other in their scardy pup states than horsing around.

Then when the guys go home, our guys just sleep like zombies.

Kenai of course won’t eat lunch, but I’m getting breakfast and supper in him (before and after freak out time). Still can’t fix the nasty scrap piles coming out of either boy. I’m working my way back to just chicken for them, and see if that does the trick.

Kenai will get a break from hunting a hidey hole today, as I’m getting my hair cut this morning. That means a car ride…and losing some shaggy for me. Kenai hasn’t been out and about for awhile. Hope he enjoys it, silly sweet pea.

BB had to be kenneled outside yesterday, with brother in the back yard too, as Orkin was applyingchemicals for termites and such in and around the house.

This was one of his “pauses” in the digging to Tibet routine. He’s really rather put out with me, back turned and refusing to look when his name’s called.

All ruffled furs was fixed with a romp, a ball, and lunch once the Orkin guys were done inside. K wouldn’t eat, but Beebs never met a goodie bowl that he didn’t lick the stainless off the steel.

There won’t be much doings outside today, for me anyway. I spent yesterday digging, so I’m beat up a bit. It’ll be at least a couple days before I can go back and finish the last row and a half. Still, there’s seed beds to water, and piddly stuff so the guys can have outside time.

There’s also a nice shade tree to rest under…tempting.

1 Comment

by greatdaneservicedog on May 18, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Kenai

Tagged chronic fatigue, dog behavior, fibromyalgia, Great Danes, littermates, puppies, puppies and stress, puppy socialization

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on May 18, 2011

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/boobie-head-brothers-by-lisa-harmon/

Still Coasting, In Low Gear…Lisa Harmon

BB’s not too sure about the compost pile…3 yrs

5/11

Beebs was hilarious about the compost when he first saw it from the deck. First he froze, raised his hackles and growled at it. Like it was gonna get up and growl back? I walked on by and he followed, all tentative.

Eventually I got him close enough to it that he’d sniff it in a stretch. Did he think some T-rex left it behind and might come back or somethin? Tentative not being his natural state, it wasn’t long before I had to scold him for peeing on my poop pile…

Funnies aside, I’m still worried ’bout the little bent bottom boy. Lethargic ain’t his style either, and he just isn’t snapping out of it. I’m gonna have to take him to the vet I guess. He’s such a handful at the vet, it can be exhausting.

Kenai’s still on antibiotics too, and marginally better. He’s decided he’ll eat hamburger, and yesterday I got three full meals in him from his bowl–haven’t had to hand feed him in a couple days. I think the weight loss has stopped, too.

The heat (90′s F) and my fibro/fatigue’s vengeful retaliation for 2 days of disregarding it while putting in a garden have kept us mostly inside. We still get out to water the seed beds 3-4 times a day, as well as the usual after dinner excursions.

The heat is supposed to break after some thunderstorms Thursday, so we’ll be back to the morning garden time outside. There’s grass to cut this morning too, and Kenai enjoys checking out every inch of the change in his yard.

If I make it to the hardware store today, Kenai’s backyard will soon be about 80 feet shorter. He and BB both sasquatched my melon row, so a bean fence to keep the beasties out is in order. It won’t be no lovely thing to look at, but it’s only for this season.

5/14

Well the heat has broken–OMG it’s cold for crying out loud. The boys think it’s marvelous too. They feel all frisky and playful now. They’ve been outside alot too, with the construction guys here. BB has restarted that chase you thing when they walk by, goofus.

Lisa the trainer and I think it’s caused by being unsure and anxious about them. When he’s facing them, he’s nervous and when their backs are to him he feels more powerful by growling as he follows. He stopped when I scolded him, but I don’t trust him when I’m gone.

Kenai is just scared, hiding in the utility room. So I take him outside and he feels much more confident. His problem is the noise–loud noises freak him out. So big K has been outdoor boy extraordinaire this week.

Big K also had his boy self put in his place by a GShep at doggie day care. Lisa boards and watches dogs on Fridays, and Brown’s ill mannered approach was met with barks and swats. He didn’t know what to do!

He got 3 hours of play and is still exhausted this morning! I’m getting 2 meals in him a day, but he’s losing weight. I guess I have to take him to the vet next week. What’re we gonna do next session. Probably a blood test or two.

We have a quiet weekend ahead of us (I hope), to rest up from last week and get ready for next week. I intend to be totally useless, and with any luck, the boys will be too. All of us have a 48-hour nap. That’d be nice.

The construction guys will be here next week and the garden will continue to take up alot of my concentration while it’s still in building phase. Poor Kenai will have to entertain himself outside a few more days. Maybe soon the hard work of settling in will be done!

Laurie has started a “What Puppies Need” series over at http://smartdog.typepad.com/smart_dog/ and being a puppy raiser for an SD program, she would definitely know. And Lisa has mentioned something called ‘super puppy’ program I need to google.

The more I work with dogs the more devoutly convinced I am that the period between birth and 16 weeks is the absolute most important when it comes to the pup’s personality and ability to handle new situations without nervousness or reactivity.

I’d be interested in hearing from breeders how they begin the pup’s development before 8 wks. Leave me comments?

2 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on May 15, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Kenai

Tagged chronic fatigue, dog behavior, dog breeders, doggie day care, gardening, Great Danes, puppies, puppies and stress, puppy socialization, tick diseases, veterinary care

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on May 15, 2011

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/still-coasting-in-low-gear-lisa-harmon/

Coasting…by Lisa Harmon

Kenai, 3 yrs

Kenai gave us a rough weekend last weekend, complicated by my coming down with strep throat. While I gargled salt water and wheezed, I decided to hit the easy button and just keep the boy’s seperated again with barriers.

He refused to eat from a bowl at all, but would sometimes eat a little chicken if I hand fed him. He’s starting to resist taking his medicine, too, which doesn’t bode well for the future.

Make matters worse, we got a beating of biblical proportions at the auction: 100k under expected. There won’t be much left once the auctioneers take their cut. Puts the kitchen redo on shaky ground, and means building a raised bed garden is gone.

Profoundly discouraging, but it was the gamble we took: that people would honest enough to at least bid a fair market value. They’d never get a house and acreage that size for what they were bidding, a realty agent would laugh them outta the office.

Guess people weren’t looking for deals, they wanted steals. Steal it they did…

Kenai has dropped ten pounds this week, (ohh), and nothing seems to interest him as food. Everything else interests him entirely too much; that weirdness hasn’t changed. He’s having such a hard time.

HRH has, however, greatly enjoyed all the outside time in the latter part of this week. I’ve been hammering away at putting in a garden. One of our lovely new neighbors was willing to come help me, too! Kenai was cool as a king with Matt and his son Spencer.

Spencer wanted I think to play, but K was feeling too majestic for such activity. He watched and wandered and sniffed…eventually he started following Spencer around, getting a bit of petting without breaking the dignity-act. Good as gold, my big guy.

Unfortunately, put him around BB and good as gold has the distinct feel of a mirage…uhg. I’ve kept them seperate most of the time, because Beebs just isn’t right. He is more lethargic than I’ve ever seen him. Now I’m getting worried.

He’s never had a positive tick titer, and I’m seriously considering talking to Dr Susan about starting him on doxy too just in case. I don’t know what else it could be–there’s no skin problems, no ear infections, no weight loss. I just don’t know.

The bare knuckle slug-fest with the FMS/CFS to get the veggie garden in continues. I won for two days, it’s winning for a couple days. But I have everything except the beans and cucumbers seeded in. Things ain’t pretty yet in the dirt patch, but I’m workin on it!

I will have to reduce the boys’ outside time this week: we’re shooting up into record heat territory. That means they are out early morning and late evening only when the temps are below 85 F. General rule of my thumb is if I can’t take it, I don’t expect them to.

There hasn’t been much else happening but the garden and the I-won’t-eats. I’m coasting on the pup’s training. But next week the construction guys are finally gonna put in a decent bathroom for us. We’ll all lose our minds by next weekend!

Enjoy your mother’s day, everybody.

2 Comments

by greatdaneservicedog on May 8, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Kenai

Tagged anxiety, chronic fatigue, dog behavior, fibromyalgia, gardening, great dane exercise, Great Danes, littermates, tick diseases, veterinary care

Posted by greatdaneservicedog on May 8, 2011

http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/coasting-by-lisa-harmon/

Recent Posts

about.me
lisa harmon
Having become disabled in my 30's, I began a new and unexepected life journey, chronicled on a blog. The need for tenacity, maintaining a stubbornly positive outlook on life, and the determination to focus on what I can do, have been the most important lessons disability has taught me.
I decided that training my own Great Danes to be my assistance dogs was one way I could have a fuller, more independent life. The experience has taught me more about life, love, and respect than any other endeavor of my life. There has been amazing triumphs, and deep sorrows but I wouldn't trade one moment of it!
Tags
"When Pigs Fly" anxiety Christmas chronic fatigue clicker training control unleashed crate training cropped ears disability dog behavior dog food dogs dog toys dog training fibromyalgia gardening great dane great dane adolescent great dane exercise great dane growth great dane info great dane play great dane puppies great dane puppy Great Danes great danes and children littermates Lyme disease migraines obedience training pancreatic insufficiency puppies puppies and stress puppy behavior puppy development puppy diarrhea puppy exercise puppy play puppy socialization puppy training service dog service dogs service dog training tick diseases veterinary care
Pages
- Great Danes
- Service Dog Training
Archives
- May 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
Blogs I Follow
Blogroll
Saying goodbye

It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -- Cheryl Zuccaro
Flickr Photos

More Photos
Romans 12:12

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (NIV)

Great Dane Service Dog's Weblog

All posts for the month May, 2011

Mr Rebound…by Lisa Harmon

Share this:

Like this:

Feeding a Dane…by Lisa Harmon

Building on the recent theme of puppies (reason: a friend has a new Dane pup)…This time the subject is their physical development. What you feed your Great Dane pup is terribly important.

The old myth is that too much protien is bad, the culprit of growth deformities like hip dysplasia, growing pains, PANO, and HOD. I gotta say

NO NO NO NO NO…

Seriously, there are nutritional studies on giant breeds like Great Danes going back to the 70′s dispelling the myth of protien is bad. The cause of bone problems is mineral malabsorption. Too much calcium and phosphorus causes bone growth deformities.

Even common sense tells you protien is responsible for muscle growth, minerals for bone growth, same as it is for humans. Who takes protien supplements to help with osteoporosis? Nobody. People take calcium to have strong bones, right? No different for dogs.

There’s a page over yonder with links to the studies and details if you want to learn more.The long story shortened is your Dane pup needs a limited mineral intake to lessen the growth problems giants are prone to.

That means you have to check the food bags, and keep the calcium at or below 1.2%, and phosphorus at or below 0.9%. Then the pup will grow more evenly and have fewer risks of bone and joint issues.

If you feed raw, I strongly suggest limiting the amount of bones your giant breed puppy gets with their meals, compared to a smaller breed. And keep in mind red meats tend to have higher phosphorus levels than white meats; a chicken meal can get away with more bone in it than a beef meal.

And for males, neutering early can result in much faster growth in the long bones than waiting until 12-18 months old. Not sure why, but testosterone seems to be involved in how the skeleton develops.

If you can and will contend with potential marking or guarding in an intact adolescent male, I would suggest waiting to neuter. Particularly if your Dane boy seems to be growing a bit too fast naturally.

They wake up in a new body after every nap! Sometimes getting the backend and front end to go in the same direction can be a challenge (grin). I kinda know what it feels like (grin again).

***

Back at the construction site we call our new bathroom…scaredy pup has had a weekend to recover himself before the kitchen remodel begins. This time there’ll be a whole crew here. Maybe more scary but over faster?

The boys are still loose together again, with only some minor “uh-uh boys” when K gets the hump little bro urge or BB gets too carried away with playtime. I’ve been extra careful not to be irritable, since I’m feeling poorly this week (fibro pain, CFS/ME weakness, migraines).

Mom’s off the steriods now too, so the ‘roidy crank is toning down, to the boy’s relief. BB has made a permanent indentation next to MY chair to give ya some idea. He’d be in trouble if we’re both cranky…

They’ve had lots of sleep, but not much outside time to speak of with my parts not doing well. Maybe today. I’ve had no ambition at all this weekend, not to go get gas for the mower, not even to go to the grocery. Maybe today. Or maybe not…grin.

Share this:

Like this:

Boobie Head Brothers…by Lisa Harmon

Here’s some info on the super puppy program I mentioned last post: http://superpuppy.com/ You can buy the book there or at http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=super+puppy&tag=mh0b-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=21189163&ref=pd_sl_4pth0zr40_p if you’d care to.

The part that can be frustrating is half of the birth to 16 wk development period is missed by a new puppy’s owner. We have to rely on the breeder to stimulate and socialize the pup for the life they will live with us.

And those first weeks are the single most important determinator of how well a pup will handle stress. Also important to me and others looking for an SD candidate, is those first weeks are when the work drive is most deeply set.

An additional difficulty is the 8 weeks when your new pup comes home with you is when a fear imprint stage begins: even small frights can imprint forever if the pup lacked the best pre-8 wk stimulation and social exposure.

Before 8 weeks is the best time to expose a puppy to the usual phobia culprits: loud noises, clanging pots, crying babies, wheelchairs, screaming kids, stairs and the like.

If you are owner-training your next service dog, the pick of breeder is more important than the pick of the litter in some ways. Most breeders aren’t full timers, ie they have jobs, social lives, and families.

They most all love their dogs and yet sometimes just lack of time or not knowing how to best prepare a pup can become a problem later on if your pup has a big harness to fill.

As for the stink like a dog carpet saga…a thorough spraying once or twice a week with a concentrated lysol solution seems to be holding the smellies at bay! In a month or two I will buy a carpet cleaner, just not now. There’s gardens to work on you know…

Our new shower is in progress! ‘Course till it’s done I do my soapy in the sink since we had the two old showers taken out to make one nice big one. Good thing I cut my hair off! The maiden voyage of that shower will be of long duration, lemme tell ya.

And guess who’s been loose together for 3 days now? NO IT COULDN’T BE THE BOOBIE HEAD BROTHERS?! Yeah, actually, it is. They’ve been stressed with the construction work, and are more concerned with comforting each other in their scardy pup states than horsing around.

Then when the guys go home, our guys just sleep like zombies.

Kenai of course won’t eat lunch, but I’m getting breakfast and supper in him (before and after freak out time). Still can’t fix the nasty scrap piles coming out of either boy. I’m working my way back to just chicken for them, and see if that does the trick.

Kenai will get a break from hunting a hidey hole today, as I’m getting my hair cut this morning. That means a car ride…and losing some shaggy for me. Kenai hasn’t been out and about for awhile. Hope he enjoys it, silly sweet pea.

BB had to be kenneled outside yesterday, with brother in the back yard too, as Orkin was applyingchemicals for termites and such in and around the house.

This was one of his “pauses” in the digging to Tibet routine. He’s really rather put out with me, back turned and refusing to look when his name’s called.

All ruffled furs was fixed with a romp, a ball, and lunch once the Orkin guys were done inside. K wouldn’t eat, but Beebs never met a goodie bowl that he didn’t lick the stainless off the steel.

There won’t be much doings outside today, for me anyway. I spent yesterday digging, so I’m beat up a bit. It’ll be at least a couple days before I can go back and finish the last row and a half. Still, there’s seed beds to water, and piddly stuff so the guys can have outside time.

There’s also a nice shade tree to rest under…tempting.

Share this:

Like this:

Still Coasting, In Low Gear…Lisa Harmon

5/11

Beebs was hilarious about the compost when he first saw it from the deck. First he froze, raised his hackles and growled at it. Like it was gonna get up and growl back? I walked on by and he followed, all tentative.

Eventually I got him close enough to it that he’d sniff it in a stretch. Did he think some T-rex left it behind and might come back or somethin? Tentative not being his natural state, it wasn’t long before I had to scold him for peeing on my poop pile…

Funnies aside, I’m still worried ’bout the little bent bottom boy. Lethargic ain’t his style either, and he just isn’t snapping out of it. I’m gonna have to take him to the vet I guess. He’s such a handful at the vet, it can be exhausting.

Kenai’s still on antibiotics too, and marginally better. He’s decided he’ll eat hamburger, and yesterday I got three full meals in him from his bowl–haven’t had to hand feed him in a couple days. I think the weight loss has stopped, too.

The heat (90′s F) and my fibro/fatigue’s vengeful retaliation for 2 days of disregarding it while putting in a garden have kept us mostly inside. We still get out to water the seed beds 3-4 times a day, as well as the usual after dinner excursions.

The heat is supposed to break after some thunderstorms Thursday, so we’ll be back to the morning garden time outside. There’s grass to cut this morning too, and Kenai enjoys checking out every inch of the change in his yard.

If I make it to the hardware store today, Kenai’s backyard will soon be about 80 feet shorter. He and BB both sasquatched my melon row, so a bean fence to keep the beasties out is in order. It won’t be no lovely thing to look at, but it’s only for this season.

5/14

Well the heat has broken–OMG it’s cold for crying out loud. The boys think it’s marvelous too. They feel all frisky and playful now. They’ve been outside alot too, with the construction guys here. BB has restarted that chase you thing when they walk by, goofus.

Lisa the trainer and I think it’s caused by being unsure and anxious about them. When he’s facing them, he’s nervous and when their backs are to him he feels more powerful by growling as he follows. He stopped when I scolded him, but I don’t trust him when I’m gone.

Kenai is just scared, hiding in the utility room. So I take him outside and he feels much more confident. His problem is the noise–loud noises freak him out. So big K has been outdoor boy extraordinaire this week.

Big K also had his boy self put in his place by a GShep at doggie day care. Lisa boards and watches dogs on Fridays, and Brown’s ill mannered approach was met with barks and swats. He didn’t know what to do!

He got 3 hours of play and is still exhausted this morning! I’m getting 2 meals in him a day, but he’s losing weight. I guess I have to take him to the vet next week. What’re we gonna do next session. Probably a blood test or two.

We have a quiet weekend ahead of us (I hope), to rest up from last week and get ready for next week. I intend to be totally useless, and with any luck, the boys will be too. All of us have a 48-hour nap. That’d be nice.

The construction guys will be here next week and the garden will continue to take up alot of my concentration while it’s still in building phase. Poor Kenai will have to entertain himself outside a few more days. Maybe soon the hard work of settling in will be done!

Laurie has started a “What Puppies Need” series over at http://smartdog.typepad.com/smart_dog/ and being a puppy raiser for an SD program, she would definitely know. And Lisa has mentioned something called ‘super puppy’ program I need to google.

The more I work with dogs the more devoutly convinced I am that the period between birth and 16 weeks is the absolute most important when it comes to the pup’s personality and ability to handle new situations without nervousness or reactivity.

I’d be interested in hearing from breeders how they begin the pup’s development before 8 wks. Leave me comments?

Share this:

Like this:

Coasting…by Lisa Harmon

Kenai gave us a rough weekend last weekend, complicated by my coming down with strep throat. While I gargled salt water and wheezed, I decided to hit the easy button and just keep the boy’s seperated again with barriers.

He refused to eat from a bowl at all, but would sometimes eat a little chicken if I hand fed him. He’s starting to resist taking his medicine, too, which doesn’t bode well for the future.

Make matters worse, we got a beating of biblical proportions at the auction: 100k under expected. There won’t be much left once the auctioneers take their cut. Puts the kitchen redo on shaky ground, and means building a raised bed garden is gone.

Profoundly discouraging, but it was the gamble we took: that people would honest enough to at least bid a fair market value. They’d never get a house and acreage that size for what they were bidding, a realty agent would laugh them outta the office.

Guess people weren’t looking for deals, they wanted steals. Steal it they did…

Kenai has dropped ten pounds this week, (ohh), and nothing seems to interest him as food. Everything else interests him entirely too much; that weirdness hasn’t changed. He’s having such a hard time.

HRH has, however, greatly enjoyed all the outside time in the latter part of this week. I’ve been hammering away at putting in a garden. One of our lovely new neighbors was willing to come help me, too! Kenai was cool as a king with Matt and his son Spencer.

Spencer wanted I think to play, but K was feeling too majestic for such activity. He watched and wandered and sniffed…eventually he started following Spencer around, getting a bit of petting without breaking the dignity-act. Good as gold, my big guy.

Unfortunately, put him around BB and good as gold has the distinct feel of a mirage…uhg. I’ve kept them seperate most of the time, because Beebs just isn’t right. He is more lethargic than I’ve ever seen him. Now I’m getting worried.

He’s never had a positive tick titer, and I’m seriously considering talking to Dr Susan about starting him on doxy too just in case. I don’t know what else it could be–there’s no skin problems, no ear infections, no weight loss. I just don’t know.

The bare knuckle slug-fest with the FMS/CFS to get the veggie garden in continues. I won for two days, it’s winning for a couple days. But I have everything except the beans and cucumbers seeded in. Things ain’t pretty yet in the dirt patch, but I’m workin on it!

I will have to reduce the boys’ outside time this week: we’re shooting up into record heat territory. That means they are out early morning and late evening only when the temps are below 85 F. General rule of my thumb is if I can’t take it, I don’t expect them to.