Lesson in Housetraining

Housetraining

This was an important lesson I learned long ago, but seemed to have forgotten today...

A rolled up newspaper can be an effective training tool when used properly for housetraining your dog.

If your dog has a housebreaking accident,
bring the dog over to the mess,
then take the rolled-up newspaper…
and hit yourself over the head as you say over and over,
“ I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG!!! I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG!!!!”

 We were doing so well!!!

But, I should have known. 

It was around the time we usually go out for the afternoon walk. I had been starting to get TOO relaxed about letting her have access to the upstairs whenever I am home, regardless of the time. (When I was being vigilant, I was very careful about not letting her upstairs if she had not peed yet around 4pm and 8pm.)

I take all the blame, but she was on such a roll! Luckily the mess was on the landing of the stairs in one spot. So thankful for that steam cleaner Craig bought!

Walks

She is showing progress with letting people pet her on walks. It's tough because lots of people think she is a puppy when we are out on walks (she is about 3 years old) so everyone wants to pet her. Normally, she hides behind me, but today she actually went up to someone who we have seen a few times in the morning. Since the first day he saw Jenny he has said to me, "I am going to let her come to me at her own time." Each time he would see her, he would approach slowly with an outstretched flat palm and watch her body language. As soon as he would see that it was too much for Jenny he would back away. Today Jenny saw him from afar with his Maltese and just stood and watched. (She loves to STOP and watch people and other dogs.) When he started to get close, she actually walked towards him with her tail wagging! I was super proud and love the little successes we have with people. :)

The Maltese growled at her so I discouraged any play there, but I was still proud of her interaction with the man!

Slipper stealer!

She loves to steal socks and slippers!

She also loves to snuggle!

Training Day

We went to our first training class yesterday. It was held at Zoom Room, the same place that had the"small dog meetup" that I brought Jenny to in the beginning of the month. I really liked Robin, the trainer, and how she was with Jenny so I decided to give Basic Obedience 1 a try.

I never thought that I would take an obedience class. I have trained a dog before and I "train" children every day. I really did not feel like I needed it. I knew the drill.

Part of my reason for signing up was to continue to get Jenny used to being around new people and other dogs. Another reason was being interested in learning about clicker training.

My first thought was, "Why the hell do I have to click a damn "clicker" before giving a treat? Why can't I just use my usual verbal praise?" I learned that the clicker is more precise than the human voice. Our voices can vary in tone and emotion each time we say a word, but a clicker sounds exactly the same each time it is used,  therefore allowing a dog to associate desired behavior with reward much faster.

I knew right away that this was going to be challenging for me. I sometimes have a hard time concentrating on multiple steps at the same time (especially in front of others,) so having to think of verbal command, behavior, hand motion, clicking at the exact moment I needed to, AND  rewarding quickly seemed overwhelming.

I was right. It was challenging for me. I kept forgetting to click the clicker, and then at times I'd forget to give a treat, , but.....I learned how to do it. Now, the practice begins...for ME especially!

Jenny was a total rockstar there!! She was a little nervous at first (shaking with her tail between her legs) but it definitely took her less time to settle down than the last time we were there. When we entered the training area, she walked in with her tail wagging, unlike last time when she was terrified walking in. I felt proud when the trainer even commented on the difference she saw in Jenny.

We learned how to do name recall, touch, sit, leave it, and let's go.
She showed progress with name recall and touch, but still needs LOTS of practice for the others. The class was not meant to teach Jenny, so I did not expect her to walk out there knowing how to sit on command. It was meant to teach me how to do it at home correctly.

Overall, I felt that it was very successful and I look forward to practicing more with Jenny. Hopefully I will get more coordinated and it all works out!

Sometimes both of her ears flip back like this...

"I am lion...hear me ROAR!"

Foggy Morning

Brrr.....
Someone does not like to go on her morning walk if it is "chilly" out. For us here in So. California, 50 degrees is a "chilly" morning. Up until about a week ago, whenever *I* would go outside, Jenny would follow me, even if it was "chilly." Now, she has started to peek outside and say "Eh....not now," and then turn around to go onto the couch.

She also used to ALWAYS come downstairs in the morning when she heard me going down. That ended about 2 weeks ago when she discovered that the bed is a super-comfy place in the morning. I suppose she is finally feeling safe in our home and feels that she does not have to follow me everywhere and have me in her sight at all times.

Her new blanket. No wonder she wants to stay there!

"YAWN! I'd rather lay here than go out today..."

"Seriously?! You're going to make me walk through THAT?""

"Oh, man...she really does want me to walk in that cloud!"

Other Dogs
Jenny had a playdate for a bit with our neighbor's dog, Molly. Sadly, Jenny was being a bit of a bully today - growling and biting (albeit playfully) at Molly's neck. I learned from a trainer that it is ok for dogs to play that way as long as it is reciprocal. Molly did not seem like she enjoying Jenn's "playfulness," so we cut their date short. We shall try again on Molly's turf next time. Jenny seemed to do a bit better over there the last time they played.

This is why mom had a hard time getting any work done today!

Someday...
I saw this little guy today at a Rescue Group event. I texted my husband this picture and jokingly said, "Can I bring him home?"

I was expecting him to say, "Don't get any ideas," but instead he texted back, "Sure!"

After a few more texts back and forth I found out that he IS open to the idea of adopting another pup someday! (I had assumed it would take MUCH more persuading than that!)

I am not ready just yet, but perhaps over the summer when I am on break? We shall see....

Cats and Dogs

I need to toughen up my training a bit with these two:

I cannot complain... they get along well for the most part, but I have been getting nervous about Béla coming up to Jenny (especially when she is on the blue kitchen mat) and swiping at her. I worry that one day she will swipe too close to her eyes. I've been working on simply separating them when they get too close or if I see Béla with "that look" like she is ready to strike. I think that Béla approaches her on that mat because that is where SHE used to sit. Since we have gotten Jenny, even if the mat is unoccupied, I have not seen Béla even attempt to reclaim it. I also noticed that with the top of the couch. I have been hesitant to use the water bottle on Béla because I do not want her to associate being near Jenny with punishment.

I am also trying to stop Jenny from laying outside of Béla's room to try to get her to come out to play. I am still happy that Jenny will not actually go INTO that room, but I don't want her to think it is ok to lay outside staring into the room waiting for her.

Needless to say, the gate is still in use at the bottom of the stairs when we are not home to supervise.

Final thoughts...

My favorite part of our walk...night view.

First Sunset on the Beach

We took a walk on the Strand in Hermosa Beach today. Jenny is still a bit skittish at times around people that get too close, bikes passing, and some of the other dogs, but she is getting better. I think  we just need to keep spending more and more time down on Pier and the Strand for her to get used to the sights and sounds. Next time I need to remember some positive associations (aka treats) for when we are just sitting and observing. I have a treat bag - I just need to start using it for things other than my phone and keys!

We walked from 1st Street down past the pier. She started shaking a bunch when we stopped at the grassy park area, so I didn't push it too long there. It was not very crowded on the Strand and there were only 2 other people on the grassy area with dogs, but she was still quite anxious.

She seemed to enjoy the sand on the beach (Shhhh! We were not supposed to be on the sand....I just snuck her on for a few pictures!) but she did not enjoy the lady who wanted to pet her.  I felt bad, because the lady was visiting from AZ and was missing her dog who looked like Jenny.  Luckily the lady was dog-saavy and knew to get on Jenny's level and hold out her hand to let Jenny try to sniff it. (Jenny just sadly didn't want any part of her kindness and let her know it by letting out a growl.)

I am hoping one day she is comfortable enough to allow strangers to pet her, but I can understand her hesitation. Who knows what happened to her in the past....I always try to remember that and just be understanding and loving.

On the bright side, I REALLY appreciate when people know how to correctly approach a shy dog.  I wish that everyone we encounter on walks knew this, but I also need to remember that there was a time when I was guilty of incorrectly approaching dogs that I didn't know...and I sometimes catch myself STILL slipping into the old bad habit of standing above a dog and reaching down to pet him/her on the head.

We are all learning as we go along...

Walking on the Strand

On the grassy park area

First beach sunset. 
(Of course my iphone did not capture just how pretty the sunset really was!)

Really...the colors of the sunset were much prettier than these pictures show :)

Weirdo!

Jenny loves to "bury" things using invisible dirt!
She does this with her food sometimes, too. She will push invisible dirt all over her bowl.

Always entertaining!

Zoom Room Meetup

Today we went to a "small dog meetup" at Zoom Room.  When we first walked in she had her head down and tail between her legs. She was very scared and shaking, and she even peed. I had to hold her on the couch for a little bit to calm her down before I was even allowed to bring her into the play area for the meetup. She was afraid of the sounds of dogs barking, especially since she couldnt see inside the play area from where we were sitting. (I was wondering  if if she was having thoughts of her life in the shelter - concrete floor, many strange dog smells, barking....)

I was a little worried that she wasn't up for this, so I was prepared to go home at any time. The trainer told me to giver her some love and a little time and I am glad I did!

There were about 8 other dogs and about 12 humans in the play area. I am sure that the people in there made jenny just as nervous as the new dogs. She was a total wallflower for the first hour and when I walked around she just hid behind me, but she came out of her shell for the last 15 minutes when many of the other dogs left. The only 2 dogs left were the 2 that Jenny seemed to like, so we were lucky. Jenny actually started to run around and chase Bella a bit, which even made the trainer happy! I wish I got some video of her running and having a good time playing, but I was too busy enjoying the moment and watching both dogs.

Thankfully everyone there was super supportive and helpful! I am looking forward to more success there!

They have a Shy Dog class that is starting up soon. I am thinking about enrolling Jenny in it just for some tips and socialization. The next small dog meetup is in the beginning of February - I am excited for that!

Jenny and Bella getting treats from Bella's mom

Jenny saying hi to the other shy dog there

Happy New Year!

We were nervous about going out for New Years yesterday, since we heard that a neighbor liked to set off firecrackers at midnight.

When we went to the Manhattan Beach fireworks on December 8 , we came home to a VERY scared Jenny on top of the kitchen counter behind the toaster!!!!! We also found some poop by the Christmas tree and pee on the dog bed. She was absolutely terrified and shaking- it was so sad to come home to after such a nice night. We figured out that her fear was from one of 2 things - being able to hear the fireworks from Manhattan beach (the town next to ours) or the smoke alarm in the kitchen beeping every few minutes to tell us that we needed to change the battery. The beeping was VERY loud so we think that most likely it was that...but we found it very odd that she would choose a place to hide that was close to the noise.

When we got home from New Years celebrations (luckily we got home early at 12:15) we came home to no mess and a calm Jenny. Phhhew! I did notice that when we went for our walk that she was skittish hearing fireworks in the distance, so we will definitely be careful on the 4th this year.

Today Craig's parents came to visit.  Jenny did surprisingly well with Craig's dad! She let him pet her and she accepted treats from him. Go Jenny!
She is still super shy around new people she meets on walks, though.

Jenny and Craig's dad