Mike’s Doghouse

Normally, I hear about this kind of stuff the day after it is over. But this one I actually find out beforehand!

April is the ASPCA’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month. Anything that helps the animals also helps us. I’d much rather support the ASPCA than PETA. Those guys scare me because while their hearts may be in the right place, their methods and reasoning are so far off the mark.

Anyway, check out your local ASPCA or similar agency and get involved!

As I have mentioned before, I used the services of an animal communicator to talk with Joella before I started to seriously look at which pup to get. I adore Patty Summers and have used her several times over the past 12 yrs or so. This past weekend (March 21-22) I had the chance to attend a workshop at her place.

I wrote extensively about it over on my blog – “Communication Workshop“. I hope you wander over there and read the article. If you are not completely into the woo-woo stuff, here is the bit that involves Mike and Joella:

In the afternoon, we’d used a piece of paper to write down a question for our animal. So I asked Joella what did she think of Mike. One of the women who picked up Jo’s photograph said “She wants him to go back where he came from.” I was very surprised and shocked and sincerely hoped this was not what Joella really wanted. The other person said “She tolerates him.” Patty, who knows Joella well had also asked her this and she clarified for us what Joella meant. It seems that Joella saw him as an annoying pet that she does indeed tolerate. But she also loves him dearly. Patty also said that the message of sending him back was most likely linked to what was going on at that time. Later I discussed this with Lorna and Sunday had seemed to be Mike’s “pick on Joella” day. At one point, Jo had enough and held him down with one paw while growling and cleaning his entire face. He left her alone after that.

I also put Mike’s picture on the table with the question of “Do you have anything to ask (or say to) me?” Again, the response was surprising. Dave, the only man there (who is also very good at communicating with animals) said Mike wants to know if he is there to stay or is he going to be sent away. That was a big surprise. I think it is connected to the near-constant frustration over his house training. Could also be connected to Jo saying she wanted him go back where he came from. The other person that connected with Mike said he loves the car rides but wants to put his head out the window. He wants to feel the wind on his face and have his ears blown. That was a funny one to all of us. Mike is scrawny enough that we don’t let the window down much, afraid the twerp would jump out. He now has seat belt so I can let the window down lower without him bailing. Patty also connected with Mike. His message through her is quite profound, seeing as how it comes from such a brat. “I really love you. I’m here because you want a reminder or reason to laugh. You get the importance of not taking life too seriously.”

My blog, Thought Patterns, is an eclectic place with rants about stuff ranging from Real Life to LGBT Rights to Writing to anything in between.

This has been covered in several posts (house training) so I won’t give much background other than links throughout this post. ‘Kay?

On Saturday, Mike had to stay in his crate about 9 hrs because I was gone and Lorna had to work. Lorna took out the divider panel from the big crate so he had more room. She also gave him plenty of chew toys. When she got home, he ran straight outside, played for just a few seconds, the proceeded to pee a river.

AND Mike hiked his leg to do it! My boy is growing up so fast! sniff

There was no pee in the crate and no pee artwork on the way out the door. This is a HUGE advancement for Mike. He’s been on the urge incontinence med for a while now and sometimes we think there is improvement, and other times we don’t see any difference. His artwork has decreased, yes, but only when he has no access to water. Jo and I were at the vet’s last week for her yearly checkup and Dr. Knepshield and I briefly discussed Mike’s bladder problems. She feels that if he is still growing, still healthy, then keeping his water amount limited obviously isn’t harming him any. If keeping his water limited is what it takes to help him get over this, then it will be fine to keep doing it.

We’ve also started letting him out the back door vs taking him out front on the leash. He seems to like this more and always does his business while out there. As soon as he does both, I let him play a bit then we all come back in. His desire to eat stuff (sticks, walnut hulls, wet bark from the maple tree, etc) means he can’t be out unsupervised. I have noticed, though, that the more we are letting him out, the less he seems to be eating. We still have to watch him closely though. The dog ramp will be fixed soon which will make it easier to get him out there more often. I don’t want him just let out without being watched as I want him to be reinforced for doing his business.

We didn’t go. Lorna has a cold again and I’m still tired from my trip out of town this weekend.

We have to go to class 30 minutes early next week, though.

I ordered Mike his first cape from SitStay.com.

(bigger images, and more when I get them uploaded, can be found in Mike’s photo section)

I have ordered enough patches so that now I have: two “Do Not Pet” patches, two “Service Dog” tab patches, and one “In Training” tab patch. I also ordered this stuff called Rhino Glue so I wouldn’t have to sew. The side pockets are smaller than the dog backpacks we’ve tried so I don’t think it will be awkward looking while empty. They still look like they could hold more than just a bit of change. Joella’s cape is the basics model and served her well for many years. Just recently the clip on the chest/belly strap broke. It looks as good as new despite the front strap that she chewed through just days after we first got it.

The capes are made by the same company (Wolf Packs) and have the same material. One difference (besides pocket size) is that Mike’s doesn’t have the reflective tape. I think I saw some somewhere online but I can’t remember where. The other difference is that instead of a clip on the chest/belly strap, it has hook-and-loop! It will take us a while to figure out how to get it just right but I love that I won’t have to worry about getting his long fuzz in the clip.

I’ll let you know when I get around to putting the patches on.

After trying and disliking the Outward Hound bag, I ordered a Gentle Leader Treat Pouch from SitStay.com.

PROS: Clip for a belt or top of pants; ring for attaching stuff; waist belt is included (and removable); small zippered pocket in the back; small pocket in the front; VERY strong springs on the sides to keep the bag open or closed; made of very tough canvas.

This thing looks and feels tough. There’s a stiff something sewn into it along the front and back to keep the bag edge upright. The hinges/springs on the bag are extremely sturdy. As many times as I have snapped it open and shut during class or a training session, it still feels as stiff as when I first got it. It can be opened and closed with one hand, leaving the other free for the leash and/or clicker.

CONS: The front pocket is weird. Not quite sure what it is for since the clicker falls out of it too easily. The hinges may be too strong for some people with weak hand strength or hand pain. I get it open by pushing my fingers in then turning the hand to push it open.

Bottom Line: Excellent bag that does what it was designed to do. It opens easily, stays open and wide, and closes with a simple push. It is more expensive than other treat bags (SitStay.com sells it for about $12) but, in my opinion, the extra cost is worth it. If you have weak/painful hands, you might want to find a store that has one and try it out a few times. Clip it to your belt and open/close it repeatedly. The good thing is that it holds so much, that even if you bent over, not much if anything is going to come out. That way you can reduce the number of times you have to open it.

The bag is made by Premier under the Gentle Leader brand although it is sold as “Terry Ryan’s Treat Pouch”. I got mine from SitStay.com. It is found there under the “Carriers, Bags, and Packs” category instead of the “Treats” category.

Photos of the bag can be found in the Bait/Treat bags album in the Reviews album on Mike’s photo album. At the moment, there is only one or two. I’ll get more taken and uploaded soon.

UPDATE: Lorna tried the Outward Hound bag for one complete class and gave up after less than a minute while we prepared for the second class to begin. She hated it. The clip wouldn’t stay on her belt so the bag kept falling off. Since it isn’t very deep, that meant the treats went everywhere. Anytime she bent over, out came treats. The training place, A Good Dog’s Life, has the Gentle Leader bags (the one I use) so she got one from them. She loved it! No problem with the clip, the treats stayed in the bag when she bent over because opening and closing it requires just one hand.

Photos of the Outward Hound bag and (soon) the Premier bag can be found in Mike’s Photo Album.

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(original review from March 3rd)

Today we got the Outward Hound Designer Treat ‘n Ball bag. We’d gotten one several months ago (I think the same brand) but couldn’t find it tonight so we got two more.

PROS: has a clip to put it on a belt; has a D-ring for hanging stuff on it; has a clip for hanging more stuff or to hang it on something like a belt loop; the outside rim is stiff so it stays open for easy access

There’s also a velcro thing on the back that I think is for attaching to a leash, although the instructions don’t mention it. I used it to attach the rope of Mike’s toy. The draw string is inside and doesn’t interfere with getting to the treats when the bag is opened.

CONS: bag won’t close completely when filled

The bag is, basically, a nylon bag inside a cloth bag. The nylon bag has a draw string closure that, when there’s nothing in it, actually closes all the way. However, put more than a few treats in there, and it won’t close. I just measured and I had barely a cup of Mike’s kibble in there and it was “too” full. A cup may seem like a lot but not for a really good training session. Mike’s kibble (Wellness Just for Puppy) is itty bitty pieces. If we’d used the adult dog food, I doubt we’d get half a cup worth in there.

Why does closing matter? It does if you train away from home. You put the treats in there at home and out you and the dog goes. If the top won’t close, you have to keep the bag upright or stuff comes out. If you bend over while wearing the closed bag, stuff comes out.

Bottom Line: Don’t bother getting it if you use a lot of treats or use bigger treats.

Outward Hound (made by the Kyjen Products, Inc. company) has several versions of their “Treat n Ball Bag”. I had to look in several places before I found the one we have. They call it the “Designer” bag. It is a nice looking bag and the brand name is stitched directly onto it vs a patch. The other bag we have (the one we can’t find) I think is the one with the pocket on the front. I really dislike that one but I won’t review it here until I find it and am sure of the brand.

I’m exhausted. I’m glad I don’t have to drive home alone. Well, except for Mike, but he can’t talk to me or go into the Hot Spot for drinks. Lorna was almost as tired as I was, though!

Tonight we worked on FOCUS, SIT, sustained SIT, and Loose Leash Walking. We also started on DOWN.

Mike does great with the first three and we are working on the leash stuff. He does great at home but add in any distraction and out it goes! He is getting DOWN but not so good I am adding the word yet. I can do the hand signal (point down to the floor near his feet) and he will do it if he knows the treat is there. The teacher suggested to us that we switch the treat to the other hand once the dog is going down relatively well. Point with one hand, wait for the down, the click and give the treat with the other hand. She and I discussed Mike’s over-willingness (for lack of another word) to do a task. Like, he will do a SIT and then not get up, even when released. It was the SIT that got him the treat so by george, he is going to SIT. At class, he will get up and walk away when I toss a treat onto the floor and say his release word (free). But at home, nope, not gonna do it.

Tonight in class, we did a few DOWNs then he went into a down without me giving the signal. I didn’t treat for it because I didn’t ask for it. I knew this was Mike planning ahead. This is actually a good thing for a Service Dog as it shows he can think around a task and come up with a different way to do it. The best example of this is from an article I read a while back. This woman trained her dog to take the drink bottle from her, take it to the kitchen, put it into the recycling bin, and return to her. She then had the dog go to the kitchen and bring her a new drink. The dog one day dropped the empty bottle into the bin and stood there for a moment. He then got a new drink and brought it to her. This was him thinking around the task and realizing what was next. This actually cost him a reward since he only returned to her once but, of course, she praised him highly for his thinking. This was the same dog that, earlier in its training, brought her a cassette box one day. She figured he’d found it on the floor somewhere. She took it from him, gave him his reward, and she went back to work. Less than a minute later, he’s back with another one. Not wanting to discourage him, but wondering where the second one had come from, she rewarded him again. When he came to her with the third, she figured out what he was doing. The snot was going to the cabinet and taking out a cassette, shutting the door, and bringing it to her. He knew he got a treat for it the first time so, he went and got more. She doesn’t know if the first one was on the floor legitimately or not. Regardless, he figured out what worked for him!

Joella has a small mouth and only brought me one thing at a time, like, my shoes. She’d go get one then go get the other. Mike, who has a huge mouth, will likely try to bring both at once. That is unless he figures out that means only one reward.

Okay, back to tonight’s class. We started working on DOWN and Mike’s getting good at it. He and I need to work on it more, though, and we need to work on him not jumping up on people. I never had this problem with Joella since she dislikes standing up on her back legs. Mike, however, can dance that way. I need to get someone to help me with this, though. Maybe Lorna and I can work together one or two nights a week. It is a big issue with Sam, too.

I’ve updated Mike’s photo album. The URL has changed and I’ve done a lot to the images’ organization. Let me know what you think!

I have a lot more to put up there but at least now it is suitable for viewing.

http://mike.holyroller.org/photos/

Mike and Joella went to the groomer today. It had been a while since Jo had had a bath and we don’t think Mike had one since he was first rescued at 2-3 weeks old. On the phone, the woman had no problem grooming a Rottweiler so off we went. DeDe of Pampered Pets in Weaverville is a cool woman. She has a lot of dogs of her own and also does boarding/sitting. She fell in love with Mike (as does everyone that meets him) and thought Joella was beautiful. After giving her details of them both and their grooming history, I left them in her capable hands.

I went to the pet food store (Asheville Pet Supply) and got a bag of dog food and some chews. With four adult dogs and one growing pup, we go through a lot of dog food! After that, I went to Waffle House in Weaverville to eat and wait for the dogs to get done. I tried calling at one point but didn’t get an answer. I knew she had a busy day so I wasn’t bothered by that. I’d dropped them off at about 11:30 and she said to give them a few hours. I went to pick them up at about 1:30 or 2.

Mike did fairly well with his grooming. She said he wandered around the tub a lot and finally sat in a far corner, his back to the wall. But he wasn’t overly upset about it. Joella did her usual thing of slowly sticking her head over the edge until she is all but stepping out. She brought them from the drying area to the main room and Mike was this huge ball of fluff! He hadn’t been brushed yet and it was funny to see him all fluffed out like that. He wouldn’t stay still for a decent brushing but she got him fairly well. Joella was next to come out and she was also all fluffy. She loves to be brushed though, so was easier to do. DeDe had managed to talk Jo into letting her do a few nails and while I was there, talked her into a few more.

Including tip, it cost $60 to get both done. Not bad! We will definitely be taking them back. Lorna wants me to take Sam by next week. The back seat of my truck looks like I sheered a sheep in there from Sam riding to class and back Tuesday!