Submissive peeing update

I have to say that I am now a true believer in the "therapy" I've used with Shiloh for her submissive pee issue. Over the summer, since we weren't walking with the boys to the bus each morning and doing our little training on the return, we had a bit of a slip. I think there were two or three times in August that she had an incident. Now, in the month since school started, I've been doing the training again and have had more time to pay a little special attention to her daily and we've had no more incidents.

Pet therapy! LOL Who would have thought?

A new cousin dog

My brother-in-law and his family just got a new Golden Retriever puppy named Chase. I am almost dreading going to meet Chase as I know that this will lead to more puppy pleas at our house. We are working on a way to fence in more of our yard, currently, but that "excuse" doesn't hold much water around these parts. Maybe once school starts I'll feel up to chasing after a puppy, but summer vacations is kinda kicking my butt right now!

Homemade dog treats

Here's an easy recipe!!

http://www.vocalpoint.com/surprises.html

"Home Made Dog Treats Category: Around the House
Tired of the expense of dog biscuits, but still want to treat your "babies"? I make a variety of drop biscuits using flour, meat broth of some kind, a little corn meal, some seasoning (onion and garlic powder), an egg and enough milk to make it "droppable" onto a greased cookie sheet. Sometimes I use ketchup and powdered parmesan- those are favorites! I drop them by spoonful, not too big, and bake them at about 300 degrees until crunchy (turning them over helps, and then leave them in the oven after you turn it off for additional crunch.) They turn out differently every time, but my dogs go crazy when they hear the oven timer go off!
By Lee Ann from SC"

Update on our "issue"

Shiloh has not had a submissive urination problem since my last update! I am so pleased with her progress. The extra 15 minutes a day of working with her has really paid off. I am hoping that between her aging and the continued effort on my part, this can really be a thing of the past.

We bought her a new bed to celebrate!

My furry shadow

I got caught up in one of those security system commercials the other night. The one with the lady on the treadmill with her earphones on when the bad guys are looking in the window and then break in the front door. *shudder* I am easily freaked out at the thought of somebody being out in the dark looking in the windows. That's just creepy. I told my husband maybe we should look at a security system. He kindly informed me that if a crook was "casing the joint" they just might notice the 90 plus pound German Shepherd that follows me where ever I go. I tilted my head to one side and asked, "Does she really follow me everywhere?" He looked incredulous as he simply answered, "Yes!"

Since that conversation, I started paying attention and sure enough, Shiloh might as well be my furry little (well big) shadow. When given the choice, she keeps me within eyesight or at the very least, within earshot. This includes when I head to our home gym to work out...with my earphones on. Take that potential robbers!!

Patience of a saint

My two year old has been relentless in naming the parts on Shiloh's head lately. Her litany of “eyes eyes eyes, nose, nose, nose, ears, ears, ears” is accompanied by poking little fingers into the appropriate parts. Shiloh is amazingly patient with these episodes, but will get up and move away when they continue past about 7 minutes. I usually move after about 3 minutes, so I think that is pretty good!

Can dogs be dysfunctional?

We were playing outside in the yard (all three kids, the dog and I) when the neighbor zoo moved outside. The three-legged dog was on a leash while the other two charged the fence, barking all the while. The owners will stand there and call to the dogs, who ignore them. There is no follow through, there are no real rules nor consequences. Maybe dysfuction CAN spread to canines...

The puppy is still enthusiastic about trying to play with the kids. It is hard to tell a 2 year old not to play with the puppy at the fence. Shiloh WAS trying to separate the two by going between the 2 y.o. and the fence and giving a little growl towards the pup as if to say, "back off of MY baby!" Evidently the puppy was unimpressed. I was playing fetch with Shiloh to keep her busy. This always leads to huge barking from next door. The puppy came to the front to investigate. I had Shiloh on a sit/stay when all of a sudden, that puppy dropped down on its belly and wriggled right under the fence at a low place in the grass. OMG!!! I grabbed Shiloh by the neck and told her to stay there. She looked as shocked as me to see this interloper in her yard, but she didn't try to get to the puppy. The kids and my husband escorted the puppy to the gate and out to the teen boy who is now also living next door. He told us he was "sorry about that." I told him I was just worried about how Shiloh might react if we are not right there. No response.

In a couple weeks, that puppy will be too big to repeat that little trick, but until then, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Neighbor dogs and cats take over...

My neighbors have been steadily adding to their small animal herd as of late. As recently as January, they had two dogs and one cat. As of this past weekend, they have added another puppy and several cats. I think they now have 5 cats, one that is very bold. It will climb through our fence and just walk up and start rubbing on the back of my leg. The first time this happened, I almost jumped out of my skin. It was a very good thing (for the cat) that Shiloh was not with me at the time. I'm not sure how she would have reacted to that one.

As annoying as these animals (well their owners actually) were, I am a bit afraid of how these new animals will affect the dynamic. Don't get me wrong, I am a big animal lover and in general, having many animals is not a bad thing. However, these neighbors are not responsible pet owners and having a lot of pets will only make things worse. And really, the cats probably won't cause TOO much trouble. Although I did have to "shoo" one off of my deck the other day. As you might imagine, a kitty sitting right outside the patio slider did NOT go over well with my dog.

I just hope that they change their ways and start exercising their dogs or at least spending SOME time outside with them rather than just shoving them out the door to run around and bark their fool heads off. One of said neighbors actually yelled at ME to fix my fence when I asked her to keep her dog off of my back deck.

Really though, we probably just got another neighbor dog that will learn the annoying habits of it's cell mates. From the looks of him, he'll be a MUCH bigger dog too. Fun times ahead!

More confidence...I think so.

I have continued with my confidence training and it may be working. Yesterday, I had to scold Shiloh a bit as she was having a hard time calming down and not mauling our visitor (my Mom). I scolded and both of us thought she might pee. Shiloh even went back and smelled on the ground where she had been walking as if she couldn't believe she had not left a urine trial behind her. Phew! LOL She even seemed to hold her doggie head a little higher. I don't think her problem is completely solved, but I think this is helping.

confidence training day 1

Yesterday, I made sure to stop and give Shiloh some attention several times throughout the day. My toddler was "off" on her nap schedule and went along to the bus stop to greet her brothers. This meant no training time, but we did throw the stick for Shiloh.

This morning, after the boys got on the bus, I did some serpentine heeling work and reinforced that fact that dogs SIT when the heel-ey stops. She picks up quickly. We then worked on sitting and waiting while I walked across the field and then called her to me. She does well on sitting and waiting, but sometimes "come" means come NEAR you, but not quite. LOL

She did seem proud at the praise for a job well done and was rewarded with some fetch time. That dog LIVES for playing fetch.

Re: a new puppy I was thinking that a puppy would build confidence for Shiloh. I mean, what dog can't beat up a puppy? LOL But then, that confidence may be short lived. Puppies grow.

Apparently, my dog lacks confidence!

It is not as big a problem as it was, but Shiloh will still pee at times when she thinks she is in trouble or sometimes when people come over and greet her with GREAT enthusiasm.

Submissive urination.


I am determined to help Shiloh get over this issue. It is rather annoying. LOL From the reading I have done, it looks like confidence is what she lacks. She definitely had early training from Maggie that taught her the only way not to get her butt kicked was to roll over, bare the tummy, and pee as she frantically thought, "don't kill me don't kill me." This fact combined with her seeing me as the new Alpha to pacify with her tinkling puts us where we are today.

So, I am going to step up our training. I already take Shiloh on short walks (to the bus stop) twice a day. We practice heeling at this time. I also usually combine these trips with a bit of fetch. Now I am also going to do a bit more training and use the fetch as a reward for getting it right. This is also supposed to increase her confidence.

The second new tactic will be to take the time to pet her more during the day. Getting down on her level. Maybe even hand feeding her. Again, this is said to increase confidence.

I'll keep you posted on if it works. If it doesn't, maybe I need to get one of these.

JUST kidding!!

Poop free yard

I finished picking up poo in the yard this weekend. There is one corner where Shiloh prefers to do her business. I swear there were not stacks of poo there, more like a carpet of poo. I wanted to get the leaf blower and blow the top layer into the neighbors yard.

Have I mentioned the obnoxious neighbor dogs that yap continually at us whenever we are outside? Or even on "that side" of our house. Even if they are inside their house. That's right, they bark at us INSIDE our house from INSIDE their house. They also run the fence line and tempt Shiloh to do the same. I thought that pushing the poop carpet from our yard to theirs might make them stinky enough to encourage keeping them on a leash instead of letting them run wild. But who am I kidding, they don't think anything of letting them terrorize the neighborhood with their indimidating racket. One neighbor is afraid to even go on a walk when those dogs are outside.

How long does a 3 gallon container of water last?

We have one of those gravity water dispensers for the dog, like this:

I'm not sure how long it is supposed to last for a near 100 pound dog, but I'm SURE it doesn't last as long as it could. Why? Well, most of it ends up all over the floor for several reasons. One is that Shiloh does not believe in swallowing the last drink of water she puts in her mouth. She is SO in love with water that she wants to spread the joy. She gulp gulp gulps and saves that last gulp to let it run out in random patterns on the floor and she also enjoys giving nice juicy kisses to any passersby. Why shouldn't others enjoy the clear fresh water that is in abundance? She's not a selfish dog.

This kind act is very inspiring for my 2.5 year old. She sees the joy created and attempts to empty the water dish onto the floor as well. This, of course, being an impossible task as long as there is water in the 3 gallon jug part of the automatic water dispenser, making the toddler even more determined.

This then creates and endless circle of activity as others step in the puddles, making soggy socks, laundry and general cries of UGH!

I really do love my kids and my dog and my gravity water dispenser, actually :-) Thanks for listening. LOL

Spring Fever

We all have it in this household! Even the dog. Of course, with Shiloh, it is actually more go outside fever. She could care less if it is cold and snowy outside as long as you throw a stick, or snowballs, or a frizbee, or a ball, she is a happy dog.

She is also a stinky dog. When the weather is damp, as it has been, she is the epitomy of a stinky dog. Phew! Do I really want to double the dog stink factor in the house? Not to mention the dog hair which is already in abundance. I keep telling myself that it is part of the season. As the weather warms and sunny days arrive, who needs a winter coat. I just wish Shiloh could take hers off and hang it in the closet like the rest of us.

Jump old dog

I've noticed it is harder and harder for my dog to get into the back of our SUV. I think it is time to get a ramp. Once upon a time I had an Otto step on the back of my vehicle. It was nice and convenient in that it stowed away but was always there when I needed it. However, I don't think Shiloh would use it well. Maybe on the way up, she would step on it, but when unloading, I think she might just jump over it. It worked well for my first dog as she was a bit more careful in getting out and would actually wait for me to have the step in place.

Another option I have found in pet steps for a vehicle is this one.

It will be a bit more work to tote it along, but that is usually only on trips to the vet where she actually gets out of the vehicle and needs to reload. Mostly, Shiloh is just along for the ride.

This brings me to my next thought. Could I get by with a less portable unit only for the garage like one of

these options.

I'm going to keep thinking on this.

Golden Retriever or Newfoundland

I would love to have a Newfoundland. My husband likes the Landseer (black and white) variety. I like the brown ones too. These are huge dogs! They can be 150 pounds and I've read that they can fling doggie drool up to 20 feet!! *shudder* That and their tendency to "save" people from drowning whether they are truly drowning or not, are the only downfalls of the breed that I found. As per temperment, I keep reading, "gentle giant," "sweet," and "devoted." I think that personality wise, this breed is a fit for our family.

That said, my son wants a Golden Retriever. He thinks the puppies are "cute" and he really doesn't look much beyond that. I think that Goldens would also have a mild personality, but really, the dog we choose now will most likely be in our household past the time that my son is even living at home. Is it selfish to get the dog I want? My husband says our son can get a Golden Retriever when he buys his first house. LOL

In the dog house

If it looks like this one

that might not be so bad after all!!

Beta dog

I am the Alpha in our pack. This, I have been told, is how it should be. Now please tell me how I can get my Beta dog to quit peeing on my shoes.

When we first got Shiloh, Maggie (our then 7 y.o. German Shepherd Dog) did NOT do well with the new puppy. The only way Shiloh could get her to back off was by TOTALLY submitting including rolling onto her back, exposing the neck and even peeing. For some reason, Shiloh will still "submissive pee" when she is scolded. It is very frustrating to me and I'm not sure how to retrain her that she does not need to pee to ensure me that I am, indeed, the boss.

Shiloh does not approve

We recently removed carpet and replaced it with prefinished hardwood flooring in most of our house. Shiloh has a dust mite allergy, so carpeting has a negative affect on her little (well big) dog ears. The dog shakes her head so much it makes ALL of us dizzy, not to mention the fact that the occasional launching of grotesque dog ear wax is a very real possibility. These truths do not change the fact that dogs do NOT like to rest their weary bones on hard floors. Shiloh is contantly seeking out a soft landing spot.

This led me on a search for dog beds. There are so many cute beds out there, but not such a great
selection for 95 pound dogs.


I think I will be going with a mattress that looks almost like a real bed for the bedroom.
Like this bed, perhaps.

I hope to find a bed like this one but for larger breeds. Somebody has got to make one -

So cool!!

Half the yard is done!

I had no fun picking up the poo in my yard today, but I did read a funny email forward, so the day wasn't all bad. Here it is:

Yesterday I was buying a 2 large bags of Purina dog chow at Walmart, for my dogs Winston, Chief, Gus, and Maximus. I was about to check out when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think, that I had an elephant? Since I had little else to do, on impulse, I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I ended up in the hospital last time. On the bright side though, I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of every hole in my body and IVs in both arms.I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry and that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was enthralled with my story by now.)Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food had poisoned me. I told her no; I had stopped in the middle of the parking lot to lick my butt and a car hit me. I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard!

Choosing a breed

I love German sheperds. I had never had an indoor dog. I grew up on a farm and animals were outdoors. I did sneak Mama Kitty into the basement to have her kittens, but even Mama Kitty didn't want to be penned up inside and would just go in to tend the kittens, then off she went again. In 1995, my now husband, then boyfriend and I got a GS puppy. My first ever "live-in" pet. Maggie was like my first child. LOL Seven years later, we got another GS puppy. Two German Shepherds were a bit difficult to deal with though. Especially since we had one toddler and another baby on the way by that time.

Maggie did not like the idea of 4-legged competition in the house and was over exhuberant at putting the new puppy in her place. In hindsight, her trying to keep up with the new puppy may have led to her back injury which eventually (after extensive treatment including surgery) led to the most difficult decision we had to make.

Right now, our family consists of three children, aged 7, 5 and 2 and our 6 year old GS dog, Shiloh. Although the idea of a new puppy is appealing to me on some levels, I want to take more care in choosing a breed that may be more docile and maybe easier to transition into the family.

My son's quest for a new puppy!

My oldest will be 8 soon. He wants another dog. He has puppy on the brain, but that brain never thinks about the work of another puppy. Right now, my lawn looks like a mine field of dog poo. The snow has melted to reveal the results of a long icy winter of no poop collecting. This is all damage done by our 95 pound, female German Shepherd dog named Shiloh. I see adding another puppy in pounds of poo added to the spring yard clean-up.

At least the potty training would be easier this time around with the cool new dog door we have installed. I was scared to put one in thinking it would be COLD, but I got

this one.

Seals like a DREAM!

these guys had
plenty of doors to choose from!