Nail Trimming

It does not sound like an exciting topic, but when you see what it took to finally get her nails trimmed this weekend you'll understand why I am writing today.

The last two times we went to the groomer, Jenny put up quite a fight. The first time we ever went, the groomer was lightning fast with clipping nails and was able to do it  without incident. I could tell Jenny wasn't happy, but we were able to get the job done.

The second time had Jenny almost biting the super nice lady. Jenny was NOT a happy camper! Oh, and to show her displeasure with the whole nail trimming situation, Jenny decided to pee all over me while I was holding her. Thankfully I am not grossed out by that kind of stuff... but I have to admit, it was an uncomfortable drive home. 

Over the next few weeks I tried to get her used to nail clippers to do it myself, but she was way too squirmy. Plus, her nails are black, which makes it very hard to see the quick (the part that can be painful and bleed when cut.)

So, this weekend I knew it was going to be a fiasco at the groomer. The groomer we were going to is inside of our local pet store Centinela. I absolutely love it there. They do not sell any live animals and the staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. They even carry my kitty litter out to my car every time I need a refill! The groomer is super sweet, but as soon as we turned the corner to head towards the grooming area, Jenny started to pull away and look at me with her "NO WAY AM I GOING IN THERE!" eyes. She put up such a  fight with me and the groomer that the groomer had to tell me that she would not be able to trim Jenny's nails.

I completely understood considering the way Jenny was acting.

Luckily I had a plan B - the vet. Sure it was almost twice as much money, but I was willing to pay anything at this point to get those sharp talons cut!

When I brought her in, they took her to the back. When I noticed it was taking a long time, I knew something was up. After a few more minutes, the vet emerged and said, "Three people.
One to hold her in a blanket,
one to pet her and talk to her,
and one to trim her nails.
But we got it done!"

Three people! Wow!

Random Things
She is starting to act very playful when she encounters 2 dogs that she sees a lot on walks (Leftie and Sasha.) I guess she is getting used to them! Today Leftie's mom said, "I'll take playful Jenny over fearful Jenny any day!"

She started to kick grass after she goes to the bathroom on walks as if to try to cover it up. I'm glad we don't have grass in the backyard!

The last 2 days she barked a few barks at me when I got home from work. I am not sure if this is her way of saying hello now, or complaining about me being gone, or what. She definitely has been getting more vocal in the house when she feels threatened by something outside. Sometimes she will sense someone outside long before we even see them. She still barks sometimes in the backyard if she hears/smells something strange to her.

When I get home from work and let Béla downstairs, Jenny's first order of business is doing "inventory" of any sweet potato chews that might be around. She then frantically walks around with it, looking for a place (usually upstairs in our bed) to hide it.

She was not happy with our friends Terry and Nancy who came over the other night. I was surprised since she has seen them quite a few times already. She barked when they came in and continued to growl at Nancy throughout the night. I think part of it was that Nancy was staring at her, which is a trigger for fearful dogs. Hopefully next time it will go a little better with them. 

A Few Pictures

On "Home Base" in the kitchen

"I don't want to get up this early!"

My favorite time of the day....

She loves her Aunt Christine!

My SoulSister came from South Carolina to visit this weekend and Jenny was AWESOME with her! She only barked for a few seconds when Christine first came in the door, let Christine pet her right away, and then within a few hours she was on Christine's lap!!!
She also barked at Christine for a few seconds in the morning when Christine came downstairs ( I guess she forgot Christine was still here?) but overall she was very welcoming to her aunt! I am certain that she could sense that Christine is an animal lover. I was so proud of Jenny!

LOVE!

"I can tell this is Mommy's special friend!"

We've given in....
Before we got a dog, we talked about how we would allow a dog to sleep on the bed with us as long as it was on TOP of the blankets. Well, Jenny has been trying to sneak under the blankets for the past month or so. Every time she would sneak under, I'd put her on her nice soft blanket and cover her up.

Her blanket is softer than my own!

But....
over the past week....
she has been quite sneaky....
and quite snuggly......
and has been getting away with sleeping under the blankets!

She usually snuggles up right next to me, but last night she was all the way at the bottom of the bed by my feet (weirdo!)

This is a picture of her emerging this morning from under the blankets...

"I win!!!"

Thankfully it barely rains in Southern California...

...because this little Diva does not like going out in the rain!

When it is wet out in the backyard she will stand by the open back door (with me outside trying to coax her out) as if to say, "Ummm.....no."

The other day it was actually raining a bit (which is rare here) and she once again did not want to go out. So, I grabbed her raincoat and least made her misery a little bit drier. Sadly, the hood is too big so I didn't get a pic of her with the hood on. 

 

Three B's

Bathtime
Today was bath day!
She does not seem to really enjoy baths, but there is definitely an amazing trust that I feel from her when I am giving her a bath. She tries to jump out of the tub if I sit on the outside and try to bathe her, so I now put on shorts and a tank top, close the shower doors, and go in with her. She always looks at me with a face that says, "This really kinda sucks, but I trust you mom..."

"I got some water on my nose"

"I can't wait to get out!"

"Yay! We are almost DONE!"

Bully
Jenny's new nickname with me and Craig is "Bully."
I don't think she is purposely being a  bully, per say.....I think it is more of a Napoleon Complex because of her size. I first noticed it with our friend's dog Maybe when she came over to play. Jenny was definitely trying to make it known to Maybe that she could be tough even though she is small (growling with even a little tiff between the two.) I blew it off as her just not being ready to play with a dog who is significantly larger than her.

She used to be able to play nicely off-leash with Molly next door. (Molly is just a tiny bit bigger then Jenny.) But, the past few times we have gone over there, Jenny has been a little too rough. She has been growling and biting at Molly's neck. This is normal play behavior for dogs if it is reciprocal. Sadly, Molly wants no part of it and now acts a bit fearful towards Jenny :(
We even tried with Gremlin up the street. She is about Molly's size - just a wee bit larger then Jenny. Same thing - growling and biting at Gremlin's neck and back while Gremlin's reaction was like, "WTF...get away from me!"

I have to admit, I was sad about it at first, but I am trying hard to remember that it is not the end of the world if Jenny cannot play well with others.  If Jenny does not seem to want to play with another dog, who am I to force her to just because I am friends with the other dog's owner and *I* would like them to get along?

I can't force it, but I will keep trying to socialize her more and work on her play behavior.

I read about trying "time outs" whenever bullying behavior starts. I may have to try that. I'd also like to have her play with a dog her size or smaller and see how she does. I wonder if she would play differently?

Béla
My friend sent me this video, which I have seen about 5 times already. It totally reminds me of how Jenny is was with Béla...

Jenny has gotten MUCH better and BRAVER about passing our cat on the stairs and in the hallway. At times, I still do have to "save" Jenny if I hear her whining. Usually that involves Béla blocking Jenny by the back door. I remember during the first 2 months trying to teach Jenny how to 'hug the wall' to pass Béla or just charge and run quickly pass her. I must say I notice a huge difference from those first few months!

A Few Pictures...

"What do you mean I wasn't picked for the Puppy Bowl? I'm not THAT much of a bully!"

Comfy blankets...never again on a cold concrete shelter floor

"Here comes the sun..."