Training older dog

[FlyingNimbus]

Hey guys, I've been taking care of my mothers dog recently (on top of my own) and usually I have no problem with her... but whenever I take her out she's very problematic....


I can't exactly walk her around the neighborhood because in the old neighborhood she would bark at anyone walking(even in the opposite side of the sidewalk even if they're far), anything she sees she barks at. She yaps and yaps and yaps.

(she's a cocker spaniel mix)

I've been trying to take her out to the yard (front or back) to have her do her business and for exercise I just throw her a frisbee indoors(she runs for it) and play other games like that with her....

To be fair I play with her for a continuous 30minutes about 4-5 times a day as I have my dog to play with as well(my dog gets jealous and if I try to play with sasha while she's in the room, she will take whatever toy I was playing with her--- even if she has no interest in the toy).


I've been taking her out hourly or bihourly(depends on the day) and I usually give her 20-30minutes because she keeps sniffing the ground, so i let her sniff-- I only pull her away if she gets too close to the fence, she keeps barking at something, or tries to eat something off the ground(which she will eat petals and stuff now)


I can't train her with treat even though she's a glutton because the irony with her is that she wants to eat everything- yet she has a sensitive stomach and even a treat will give her diahreah or vomit... even if the treat was made in the us, all natural and all that crap she will still chuck it up later.



I just want her to do her stuff at least mostly when it's nearing her bed time because I don't want to be 30mins -60mins outside when it's dark and there's mosquitoes like crazy having a blood festival on me.

I have so many rashes already and that's mainly what bothers me because I can't find something to keep them away. I dont have long sleeved shirts, and I can't wear a jacket as its hot out and I overheat easily...

Any other time of the year I wouldn't mind being outside at night... I would buy that DEET stuff but it never seems to actually work-- they still fly within the vicinity and some will still try to bite me..

The other day there were those big biting flies....


The problem is she takes 2x as longer at night-- not because of the insects (she has a long coat) but because there's 1-2 neighbors active at night(some nights) and she hears them and starts barking at them, and instead of waiting 30minutes for her to do something she would probably take longer.

Thing is, even waiting 30minutes she sometimes still wont do it, she'll keep sniffing but she just gets easily distracted. We live in a suburban area but it's more of a country suburbs. It's in the middle of nowhere-- but there's a few neighbors near by....

I am tempted to pad train her but I am not sure her owner would be too pleased with that either. I don't mind taking her outside and letting her roam and play but I just dont like having to go every hour or every other hour to have to take her to do her business.

She used to have a set schedule when she would go 4-5 times a day instead of 8-10


But now she wont do her business everytime I take her out, only every other time or maybe more. But if it's not done eitherway she will bark to be let out.

Her "lets go potty" bark is one bark, silent for a few seconds, another bark, silent for another few seconds, then repeat.


Her potty rhythm got messed up when she got sick last week and started doing her business inside often... (she would poop hourly or bihourly inside) so I have been taking her outside hourly and sometimes bihourly and she just doesnt do her stuff.


Yesterday, I tried going back to the original schedule of giving her a 3-4hour space between potty time but the moment I brought her inside (even if I took a long time outside with her) she would still bark the moment I go do other stuff.

I have other things to do, and I have to give time to my own dog.

I just want to know what I should do in this situation.

[Lovetodream88]

You can use her dog food at a treat. Have you tried cheerios? If just a fenced in yard dosent work you could look at one of those outside kennel that has the sides and the top and take her out and put her in that for her potty times or exercise. I don't mean leave her out like all day but just when you would take her potty. I get the mosquito thing because I am allergic to them badly and allergic to the deet in big sprays.

[FlyingNimbus]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

You can use her dog food at a treat. Have you tried cheerios? If just a fenced in yard dosent work you could look at one of those outside kennel that has the sides and the top and take her out and put her in that for her potty times or exercise. I don't mean leave her out like all day but just when you would take her potty. I get the mosquito thing because I am allergic to them badly and allergic to the deet in big sprays.

We dont like cheerios so havent tried it. Yeah we were thinking of putting a kennel close to the house. Maybe keep it shaded and stuff. Take her out there, leave her there until we notice she did her business.... Because no matter what anyone says being outside eaten alive by mosquitoes is brutal.... Deet products dont even work and they're dangerous to people and animals and the land. Its utter garbage. I tried the tick one before , i put so much of it on and i still got 6 ticks on me.... Waiting for her to find a spot only to get distracted by an animal or person is what frustrates the crap out of me.... I dont want to be outside for an hour each night just for her not to do her stuff and the minute i put her in her area she whines and barks.

I have my legs full of bites.. And my arms...

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by FlyingNimbus

We dont like cheerios so havent tried it. Yeah we were thinking of putting a kennel close to the house. Maybe keep it shaded and stuff. Take her out there, leave her there until we notice she did her business.... Because no matter what anyone says being outside eaten alive by mosquitoes is brutal.... Deet products dont even work and they're dangerous to people and animals and the land. Its utter garbage. I tried the tick one before , i put so much of it on and i still got 6 ticks on me.... Waiting for her to find a spot only to get distracted by an animal or person is what frustrates the crap out of me.... I dont want to be outside for an hour each night just for her not to do her stuff and the minute i put her in her area she whines and barks.

I have my legs full of bites.. And my arms...

Yeah I only was outside for five minutes and ended up with 8 and when I get to many I end up having to get a steroid shot and antibiotics. Not fun. What sucks is my dads whole side of the family camps and I can't go because of the mosquito thing that and I'm not a big camper lol. It also reminds me though of how important heartworm meds are for the dogs because they are getting bit too.

[FlyingNimbus]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Yeah I only was outside for five minutes and ended up with 8 and when I get to many I end up having to get a steroid shot and antibiotics. Not fun. What sucks is my dads whole side of the family camps and I can't go because of the mosquito thing that and I'm not a big camper lol. It also reminds me though of how important heartworm meds are for the dogs because they are getting bit too.

Yeap. meds are important. Getting eaten alive by insects sucks. People will tell you that its only a few bites and to just deal with it-- that's because they're not the ones outside for 30mins- 60mins for a dog whose supposed to be using the bathroom but instead is playing around like a scamp.

I wouldnt mind letting her play outside if I wasn't getting bit by them, or the horse flies... (when they come) or if she didnt try to escape anything... she doesnt try to jump over the fence inside anymore but the moment you open it to pass by she will try to bolt by.

Not sure if I should have her associate the fence with distrust or something that she doesnt like (so shell keep away from the fence) but I can see that's probably a dumb idea.

You know there's a saying if you love something you set it free-- but if you set a dog free without any restrictions they'll likely die within weeks (if they don't get hit by a vehicle on the road) and possibly hours or days in winter conditions.

Dogs aren't meant to survive off the land as one would think they can.... The only breed I could possibly genuinly say could live off without people almost normally would be a pack of Alaskan malamutes/huskies, maybe like the great Pyrenees, and any of the highly intelligent dogs....


Don't think most terriers, chihuahuas, maltese, and other little dogs would quite survive "off grid".

While the image of a daring (not scared) dog being swooped away by an eagle (not being eaten or thrown) would be quite an amusing thought (of course this is a whole fantasy thing where the dog doesnt end up hurt, ill or dead)-- that's not what would happen in reality.

Reality is, birds of prey tend to pick up animals (especially turtles/tortoises) they fly up real high-- and they drop them. Then they'll feed on the splattered remains. Why? Because really it's an easy meal for a bird. Dogs are (no offense to anyone) but not very bright animals when it comes to common sense. A dog probably thinks he/she can take down the large predator but reality isn't as kind and when the dog just stands there instead of running away (like some dogs do to large animals) well need I say more?




Anywho, so yeah even if I have my fence completely fixed (which is going to take time because I think we need some kind of permit to do what we're going to do-- including the kennel thing) I cant just leave the dogs outside unattended-- ever forwhatever reason.


The neighbor behind us is quite amicably(an old couple) but they have this big golden retriever and I kid you not but that dog for whatever given reason is barking like a mad dog anytime we go outside(even without the dogs) ... Growling, barking, running up to the fence... I even saw him bare his teeth... You'd think this was some police dog or an attack dog trying to take a perp down.... When my dog comes outside, she sometimes starts the barking, but not always.... so if that dog found its way inside our yard(even if we dug a deep wall of cement/bricks) as a fence there's the possibility it could come to us(their dog is offleash in their yard) . I think their yard is fenced I cant really see their fence because of the trees blocking that part but I see i t on one side of the yard so I assume so.

Still who the heck would had thought a golden retriever being aggressive? Then again I heard it's not completely unheard of...


Anywho. Lots of dangers outside for a very small animal... so not so wise to leave it outside to play even under supervision. I guess I'll find a way to make it an area that she can run and play free offleash without any dangers/threats to her. If we go through the kennel idea I want it to be more cage like(meaning that it's closed off from the top as well) so no predators can get in. Maybe cement floor and on top of those floors put in some soil and grass seeds to let the grass grow there.

Cement floors underneath would prevent anything from getting in or out.


Still kinda wished dogs had a higher intellect or thought process overall than they currently possessed. Like, the smartest dog I can think of is the border collie-- I wish there were dogs with the intellect of a 8 year old or something(I dont mean a dog that can do math and stuff like that-- I just mean a bit of common sense/logic). Basically just smart enough to know whats dangerous, whats a threat, and easier to train. But that's just me dreaming. In a perfect world my dog would be like that and would have the life span of 20-30years.

But I am glad I have her neverthe less.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by FlyingNimbus

Yeap. meds are important. Getting eaten alive by insects sucks. People will tell you that its only a few bites and to just deal with it-- that's because they're not the ones outside for 30mins- 60mins for a dog whose supposed to be using the bathroom but instead is playing around like a scamp.

I wouldnt mind letting her play outside if I wasn't getting bit by them, or the horse flies... (when they come) or if she didnt try to escape anything... she doesnt try to jump over the fence inside anymore but the moment you open it to pass by she will try to bolt by.

Not sure if I should have her associate the fence with distrust or something that she doesnt like (so shell keep away from the fence) but I can see that's probably a dumb idea.

You know there's a saying if you love something you set it free-- but if you set a dog free without any restrictions they'll likely die within weeks (if they don't get hit by a vehicle on the road) and possibly hours or days in winter conditions.

Dogs aren't meant to survive off the land as one would think they can.... The only breed I could possibly genuinly say could live off without people almost normally would be a pack of Alaskan malamutes/huskies, maybe like the great Pyrenees, and any of the highly intelligent dogs....


Don't think most terriers, chihuahuas, maltese, and other little dogs would quite survive "off grid".

While the image of a daring (not scared) dog being swooped away by an eagle (not being eaten or thrown) would be quite an amusing thought (of course this is a whole fantasy thing where the dog doesnt end up hurt, ill or dead)-- that's not what would happen in reality.

Reality is, birds of prey tend to pick up animals (especially turtles/tortoises) they fly up real high-- and they drop them. Then they'll feed on the splattered remains. Why? Because really it's an easy meal for a bird. Dogs are (no offense to anyone) but not very bright animals when it comes to common sense. A dog probably thinks he/she can take down the large predator but reality isn't as kind and when the dog just stands there instead of running away (like some dogs do to large animals) well need I say more?




Anywho, so yeah even if I have my fence completely fixed (which is going to take time because I think we need some kind of permit to do what we're going to do-- including the kennel thing) I cant just leave the dogs outside unattended-- ever forwhatever reason.


The neighbor behind us is quite amicably(an old couple) but they have this big golden retriever and I kid you not but that dog for whatever given reason is barking like a mad dog anytime we go outside(even without the dogs) ... Growling, barking, running up to the fence... I even saw him bare his teeth... You'd think this was some police dog or an attack dog trying to take a perp down.... When my dog comes outside, she sometimes starts the barking, but not always.... so if that dog found its way inside our yard(even if we dug a deep wall of cement/bricks) as a fence there's the possibility it could come to us(their dog is offleash in their yard) . I think their yard is fenced I cant really see their fence because of the trees blocking that part but I see i t on one side of the yard so I assume so.

Still who the heck would had thought a golden retriever being aggressive? Then again I heard it's not completely unheard of...


Anywho. Lots of dangers outside for a very small animal... so not so wise to leave it outside to play even under supervision. I guess I'll find a way to make it an area that she can run and play free offleash without any dangers/threats to her. If we go through the kennel idea I want it to be more cage like(meaning that it's closed off from the top as well) so no predators can get in. Maybe cement floor and on top of those floors put in some soil and grass seeds to let the grass grow there.

Cement floors underneath would prevent anything from getting in or out.


Still kinda wished dogs had a higher intellect or thought process overall than they currently possessed. Like, the smartest dog I can think of is the border collie-- I wish there were dogs with the intellect of a 8 year old or something(I dont mean a dog that can do math and stuff like that-- I just mean a bit of common sense/logic). Basically just smart enough to know whats dangerous, whats a threat, and easier to train. But that's just me dreaming. In a perfect world my dog would be like that and would have the life span of 20-30years.

But I am glad I have her neverthe less.

You would be surprised at what terriers could do yorkies were breed for rating so they know how to hunt and kill. I have heard many stories of them hunting rabbits and rats. My boy hunts moles. Dogs actually are very smart and know the certain dangers and such. I grew up with a dog that would very carefully back up snakes into a spot they had to stay in and would make noise and keep in cornered until a human came. At our old house there was a possum in the fenced in yard and Callie knew to stay a certain distance away from it. We also had a huge snake on our deck this summer and they knew to keep their distance. Think of all the jobs dogs do they are incredibly smart. Any dog can be aggressive if not trained properly and even if breed poorly. I love labs and they are extremely loyal to a fault where if something comes on your property they could feel it threatened their family and kill it. Some dogs also just hate other dogs. Most of the people in my neighborhood have the electric fences which I hate. We had a fence built when we moved so I let mine run freely in our back yard.

[FlyingNimbus]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

You would be surprised at what terriers could do yorkies were breed for rating so they know how to hunt and kill. I have heard many stories of them hunting rabbits and rats. My boy hunts moles. Dogs actually are very smart and know the certain dangers and such. I grew up with a dog that would very carefully back up snakes into a spot they had to stay in and would make noise and keep in cornered until a human came. At our old house there was a possum in the fenced in yard and Callie knew to stay a certain distance away from it. We also had a huge snake on our deck this summer and they knew to keep their distance. Think of all the jobs dogs do they are incredibly smart. Any dog can be aggressive if not trained properly and even if breed poorly. I love labs and they are extremely loyal to a fault where if something comes on your property they could feel it threatened their family and kill it. Some dogs also just hate other dogs. Most of the people in my neighborhood have the electric fences which I hate. We had a fence built when we moved so I let mine run freely in our back yard.

Electric fences suck but it might not be the worst thing if the dog in question is a particular escape artist that a regular fence couldnt keep in... (you ever seen those videos of those really good escape artist dogs?)

I just want concrete underground 3-4 feet under(maybe even go crazy and make it 5) just to deter any possible digging out, Using a concrete wall instead of wood, wood rots after a while and even if treated itll eventually go bad and some parts even break... when I lived in Puerto Rico we had a massive walls of cement and there was no way nothing could get in or out. We did it to keep neighbors kids out of our yard(we had a really big yard- almost an acre or half-- as big as two school gymnasium....

Removing any method of getting out would make me feel at ease. But since our house is partially on a slope/hill our deck is "floating" and underneath there the dog could somehow get in and it would be impossible to get her out... she likes to hide in places. Even when shes calm she just likes being underneath things. Guess she must have had it tough(she did this since day 1). She only leaves the hide outs if I call her in a playful manner or human food...

My neighbors have a golden retriever and even on our own side of the property he growls and barks...

Anytime we go outside, the couple end up going inside because of the dogs...


As for intellect-- I think its rather specific and limited intellect... Otherwise... why would a dog purposely anger something possibly dangerous? Or try to eat something inedible... or try to anger a bigger dog on purpose... or say if something is hot like a heater, why would they purposely try to touch it-- even after being burnt the first time? My friends dog touched a heater that was on max(the portable heater units) and she burnt her paw- seconds later she used her other paw and burnt her other paw.... That's what I mean... or a dog trying to go through a thorn bush... thrice....


--

No doubt there are smart dogs like collies and the like.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by FlyingNimbus

Electric fences suck but it might not be the worst thing if the dog in question is a particular escape artist that a regular fence couldnt keep in... (you ever seen those videos of those really good escape artist dogs?)

I just want concrete underground 3-4 feet under(maybe even go crazy and make it 5) just to deter any possible digging out, Using a concrete wall instead of wood, wood rots after a while and even if treated itll eventually go bad and some parts even break... when I lived in Puerto Rico we had a massive walls of cement and there was no way nothing could get in or out. We did it to keep neighbors kids out of our yard(we had a really big yard- almost an acre or half-- as big as two school gymnasium....

Removing any method of getting out would make me feel at ease. But since our house is partially on a slope/hill our deck is "floating" and underneath there the dog could somehow get in and it would be impossible to get her out... she likes to hide in places. Even when shes calm she just likes being underneath things. Guess she must have had it tough(she did this since day 1). She only leaves the hide outs if I call her in a playful manner or human food...

My neighbors have a golden retriever and even on our own side of the property he growls and barks...

Anytime we go outside, the couple end up going inside because of the dogs...


As for intellect-- I think its rather specific and limited intellect... Otherwise... why would a dog purposely anger something possibly dangerous? Or try to eat something inedible... or try to anger a bigger dog on purpose... or say if something is hot like a heater, why would they purposely try to touch it-- even after being burnt the first time? My friends dog touched a heater that was on max(the portable heater units) and she burnt her paw- seconds later she used her other paw and burnt her other paw.... That's what I mean... or a dog trying to go through a thorn bush... thrice....


--

No doubt there are smart dogs like collies and the like.

A lot of dogs generally stay away from hot stuff. Most adult dogs don't put things in their mouths that aren't edible at least not the ones I have or grew up with but they did as puppies because that is their only way to touch and check it out. Yorkies are extremely intelligent my boy is about to be an advanced trick dog and eventually a champion trick dog. My older girl is crazy smart like doggy genius and I couldn't even put into words how smart she is. She also seems to know when my panic and anxiety attacks are coming and won't leave me alone. We have three acres and most people in my neighborhood have that or more and don't put a fence up at all just use the electric fences and that dosent always keep them in nor other animals or people out.

[TxVicki]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Yeah I only was outside for five minutes and ended up with 8 and when I get to many I end up having to get a steroid shot and antibiotics. Not fun. What sucks is my dads whole side of the family camps and I can't go because of the mosquito thing that and I'm not a big camper lol. It also reminds me though of how important heartworm meds are for the dogs because they are getting bit too.

I break out in horrible welts if a mosquito bites me. Here in Texas in the evening heat can be a real problem with them. I did something that someone suggested to me. To buy Sea Breeze and use a cotton ball and rub on my feet and leg's, since they said mosquito's hate the smell. So I bought and tried and so far I haven't any bite me at all. Not sure if that may be option for you or not to try.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by TxVicki

I break out in horrible welts if a mosquito bites me. Here in Texas in the evening heat can be a real problem with them. I did something that someone suggested to me. To buy Sea Breeze and use a cotton ball and rub on my feet and leg's, since they said mosquito's hate the smell. So I bought and tried and so far I haven't any bite me at all. Not sure if that may be option for you or not to try.

That's what happens to me and they actually hurt. I will have to try it.

[FlyingNimbus]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

A lot of dogs generally stay away from hot stuff. Most adult dogs don't put things in their mouths that aren't edible at least not the ones I have or grew up with but they did as puppies because that is their only way to touch and check it out. Yorkies are extremely intelligent my boy is about to be an advanced trick dog and eventually a champion trick dog. My older girl is crazy smart like doggy genius and I couldn't even put into words how smart she is. She also seems to know when my panic and anxiety attacks are coming and won't leave me alone. We have three acres and most people in my neighborhood have that or more and don't put a fence up at all just use the electric fences and that dosent always keep them in nor other animals or people out.

Yeah that depends on the dog I guess. I am not saying mine in particular do that but some do equally dumb things.


Maggie barks the crap out of my sibling... lol.. sometimes I feel like praising her for it because it's funny -- but now hold on before you guys forshame me for it-- I don't actually praise her for it but at the same time I don't really do anything about it. I do sort of giggle because she acts like this big tuff' guard dog and sometimes I feel like I should had named her ironically "killer" (like having a big dog and calling him "Tiny")... It's just the irony of it... My sibling doesn't quite understand why she does it and I guess we do argue at times. Or we argue briefly and maybe she sees that I am either po'd or just annoyed. To which if she's doing it for my sake I feel like I wanna pick her up and hug the crap out of her.

My other sibling came over today with his family and I had to keep maggie in my room. I have a fence to an area I don't want her to go in. As well as there's an old large "blanket" , I stuffed it under my bed because there's a gap where she likes to crawl under -- she can fit by crouching-- like she can't just stand so to speak...

(I don't know what to call it exactly-- it's not a comforter but it's sort of like it. Used to be really fluffy but due to it being so old and washed so many times it's gotten a bit matted-- not sure if it was fluffy or if it was merely just soft-- I personally being a water waster prefer to over-wash things like that because I guess I just find it gross not to).


I did end up providing her a make-shift hide-out... I used my plastic hamper, took one of those area rugs we use for the bathroom and since it was recently washed I figure there's no harm in that(she doesnt chew up that rug-- only the one in the living room because it has little tassle things- and only rarely).

She was such an angel. I mean she couldn't have gotten on top of the bed because I put boxes covering the area to get on it (on purpose) and I put a metal shelf as a barrier from the little night table because behind it I have things plugged in charging(didn't want her to get electrocuted)...


Checked on her every hour... She was only alone for about 4-5 hours tops as they came in rather late during the day anyways.

Prior to that I had her roaming around the living room as she's not the one whose been having accidents. The only thing she ever did recently was when sasha was sick and she ate sashas puke(yuck).

So, now I am thinking of tomorrow giving her a long overdue bath because she really stinks...

It's been raining often here for the past few weeks and I take her out in the grass, and the days after she rains she must find a reason to torture me because she decides she's going to roll on the grass where she just pooped the day prior and I had picked up the poop on the spot but still its kinda gross(I know shes not trying to-- I am just being melodramatic) ....

So yeah she's been without a bath for 2 weeks and she already smells like a dirty mop after mopping the dirtiest and dustiest floor... (not saying my floors are dirty but the fact of her rolling around often even if she's not getting covered with mud is still going to make her stink-- and no it's not a regular dog smell-- it's literal stink).


I am going to see if I can find her nail files(the electronic ones that's essentially a dremel-- a nail dremel) and we've used it on sasha-- at first sasha hated it and now she just doesnt like it but puts up with it. One would hold the dog, and the other would do the deed.

I'd say clip her nails but quite frankly-- I am not certain of clipping a nail and not hitting the quick or making the nails sharper than they already are....


Anytime she steps on my feet I have to hold myself from yelping because they literary dig in like a knife. (It doesnt cut but it feels like a pinch or a poke).


Thing I haven't gotten done is getting her a name tag... I have no clue why I haven't gotten her one. I mean she has some identification tags that have the place of adoption... but she doesnt have the one where we live-- and the thing is we didn't get it done before because we were in the old house but I guess we've been really busy.


Now I kind of want to get her a nice name tag that's a bit big and can be engraved in bold letters so that I can put in any bit of information required.


She has a chip that came in with her, but we haven't bothered registering ourselves to it... I think we may have forgotten or just havent had the time. We're still working around the house. But we already did a few of the essentials so I am hoping I can get these done within the month of august...


As for those treats (they're called carry-outs and come in a blue and white bag) they apparently list as part of the ingredients "garlic powder" .... I've been giving her these without even reading the ingredients... but she's been fine on them.. Not sure if given in moderation they're okay or if I should all-together stop.


Ironically they're said to be bacon flavored but in the ingredients list its mostly chicken and I see no actual bacon. Not that I'd want a dog to eat actual bacon but still. lol.


As for where the treats are made in-- not sure...

I am still hunting for better treats... She doesn't like dog biscuits... (the cookies/crackers), she likes straight to the source meat flavored things, particular anything with pork in it... I hate to admit it but I've on 3 occasions given her like a tiny piece of hot dog or ham(about the size of my pinky nail).... as that's what she seems to love the most... well that and just "people food". Well depends, I give her PB sometimes but she'll only eat a certain amount. Maybe half a spoon or a spoonful. No more than that usually. (I slather it on the food dish-- allover it so she doesn't just gulp it down-- kind of a pain in the butt to clean later though).



I left her food in the room when I was away (I decided to feed her later during the day) and she just didn't eat it at all. She only came to eat it after everyone was gone and I was laying on my bed.. lol weird dog or maybe rather sweet.

[FlyingNimbus]

Originally Posted by TxVicki

I break out in horrible welts if a mosquito bites me. Here in Texas in the evening heat can be a real problem with them. I did something that someone suggested to me. To buy Sea Breeze and use a cotton ball and rub on my feet and leg's, since they said mosquito's hate the smell. So I bought and tried and so far I haven't any bite me at all. Not sure if that may be option for you or not to try.

Sea breeze? Can you link me to that? As I am sure there are quite a few products labeled that.


The mosquito bites, --- well general insect bites make me highly irritable because usually some of the insects cause welts, and most cause rashes which I either end up scratching and making it worse or feel painful(sometimes those big obnoxious flies that make me want to buy those electric rackets -- out of pure hatred for them)

So when I am standing out there and she's taking her sweet long time at friggin' 9-10 pm because she wouldnt do her business at neither 8 nor 9 and then if she doesnt do it at 9 I'll either try again at 10pm or midnight... but yeah waiting out there for 20-40minutes depending on the day is not very fond if there are a ton of insects trying to make a quick meal out of me....

I am going to be 100% honest, off record... if I was to say a time when I don't mind going out with her to the bathroom (well her bathroom) is during the daytime provided there's no insects, and I am not dying of heat out there... I'll tolerate the cold because I can just gear up (we have coats for that), but if all I am wearing is a t-shirt, shorts and flipflops because the heat is bad-- I can't just very well do anything about that...

Though for next year.. I might just find some way to cool down a potty area by providing shade and a strong fan. Maybe if I could put in some sort of outdoor fan that I can just leave out there -- and just flip a switch or something. It's not that I want to bemoan or something.. I mean recently its been cooler but earlier this month we've had 90degree humid temperatures which end up feeling like 100s....


I kind of want to find a dog friendly sun block as well.. because I've been noticing that the rays have been quite intense recently (compared to say last year-- maybe it's just me but to me I feel like I get burnt by the rays easier lately).

Problem with regular Spf100 sunblock is that if a dog licks you, they'll likely be poisoned by it...especially if you slather it on... or something...

[FlyingNimbus]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

A lot of dogs generally stay away from hot stuff. Most adult dogs don't put things in their mouths that aren't edible at least not the ones I have or grew up with but they did as puppies because that is their only way to touch and check it out. Yorkies are extremely intelligent my boy is about to be an advanced trick dog and eventually a champion trick dog. My older girl is crazy smart like doggy genius and I couldn't even put into words how smart she is. She also seems to know when my panic and anxiety attacks are coming and won't leave me alone. We have three acres and most people in my neighborhood have that or more and don't put a fence up at all just use the electric fences and that dosent always keep them in nor other animals or people out.

Also forgot to touch on the intelligence subject. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I've noticed she barks at one of my siblings in particular-- the other sibling she doesn't really care about (doesn't affect her negatively or positively)... but this sibling she will bark at, she will growl, and she even started making this sound this really weird sound I can't describe it, kind of like a mixed growl... sounds a bit like a lion or something... no more like a tiger growl-- mouth completely open and all... but the minute my sibling comes closer to her she just backs away but then repeats. lol.. a bit funny but makes me think that she might be doing it for me... mostly because I don't see any reason why she would behave to him like that as she's met strangers and she regularly doesn't care or occasionally just barks for a bit and then stops.

With him it depends, sometimes if she sees him while i am not there she ignores him. The minute I am there shes on guard mode. Makes me want to hug the crap out of her.


But then, her intellect makes me wonder because there was this metal rack (its a part of one of those easy assemble- and disassemble rack storage things) and she tried to climb on it and it felt towards her(didnt hit her because she backed away quickly and really it was a small part of the rack) and she got scared(trembling scared) -- then I comfort her and 5minutes later shes fine but yet tries to repeat the thing...

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by FlyingNimbus

Yeah that depends on the dog I guess. I am not saying mine in particular do that but some do equally dumb things.


Maggie barks the crap out of my sibling... lol.. sometimes I feel like praising her for it because it's funny -- but now hold on before you guys forshame me for it-- I don't actually praise her for it but at the same time I don't really do anything about it. I do sort of giggle because she acts like this big tuff' guard dog and sometimes I feel like I should had named her ironically "killer" (like having a big dog and calling him "Tiny")... It's just the irony of it... My sibling doesn't quite understand why she does it and I guess we do argue at times. Or we argue briefly and maybe she sees that I am either po'd or just annoyed. To which if she's doing it for my sake I feel like I wanna pick her up and hug the crap out of her.

My other sibling came over today with his family and I had to keep maggie in my room. I have a fence to an area I don't want her to go in. As well as there's an old large "blanket" , I stuffed it under my bed because there's a gap where she likes to crawl under -- she can fit by crouching-- like she can't just stand so to speak...

(I don't know what to call it exactly-- it's not a comforter but it's sort of like it. Used to be really fluffy but due to it being so old and washed so many times it's gotten a bit matted-- not sure if it was fluffy or if it was merely just soft-- I personally being a water waster prefer to over-wash things like that because I guess I just find it gross not to).


I did end up providing her a make-shift hide-out... I used my plastic hamper, took one of those area rugs we use for the bathroom and since it was recently washed I figure there's no harm in that(she doesnt chew up that rug-- only the one in the living room because it has little tassle things- and only rarely).

She was such an angel. I mean she couldn't have gotten on top of the bed because I put boxes covering the area to get on it (on purpose) and I put a metal shelf as a barrier from the little night table because behind it I have things plugged in charging(didn't want her to get electrocuted)...


Checked on her every hour... She was only alone for about 4-5 hours tops as they came in rather late during the day anyways.

Prior to that I had her roaming around the living room as she's not the one whose been having accidents. The only thing she ever did recently was when sasha was sick and she ate sashas puke(yuck).

So, now I am thinking of tomorrow giving her a long overdue bath because she really stinks...

It's been raining often here for the past few weeks and I take her out in the grass, and the days after she rains she must find a reason to torture me because she decides she's going to roll on the grass where she just pooped the day prior and I had picked up the poop on the spot but still its kinda gross(I know shes not trying to-- I am just being melodramatic) ....

So yeah she's been without a bath for 2 weeks and she already smells like a dirty mop after mopping the dirtiest and dustiest floor... (not saying my floors are dirty but the fact of her rolling around often even if she's not getting covered with mud is still going to make her stink-- and no it's not a regular dog smell-- it's literal stink).


I am going to see if I can find her nail files(the electronic ones that's essentially a dremel-- a nail dremel) and we've used it on sasha-- at first sasha hated it and now she just doesnt like it but puts up with it. One would hold the dog, and the other would do the deed.

I'd say clip her nails but quite frankly-- I am not certain of clipping a nail and not hitting the quick or making the nails sharper than they already are....


Anytime she steps on my feet I have to hold myself from yelping because they literary dig in like a knife. (It doesnt cut but it feels like a pinch or a poke).


Thing I haven't gotten done is getting her a name tag... I have no clue why I haven't gotten her one. I mean she has some identification tags that have the place of adoption... but she doesnt have the one where we live-- and the thing is we didn't get it done before because we were in the old house but I guess we've been really busy.


Now I kind of want to get her a nice name tag that's a bit big and can be engraved in bold letters so that I can put in any bit of information required.


She has a chip that came in with her, but we haven't bothered registering ourselves to it... I think we may have forgotten or just havent had the time. We're still working around the house. But we already did a few of the essentials so I am hoping I can get these done within the month of august...


As for those treats (they're called carry-outs and come in a blue and white bag) they apparently list as part of the ingredients "garlic powder" .... I've been giving her these without even reading the ingredients... but she's been fine on them.. Not sure if given in moderation they're okay or if I should all-together stop.


Ironically they're said to be bacon flavored but in the ingredients list its mostly chicken and I see no actual bacon. Not that I'd want a dog to eat actual bacon but still. lol.


As for where the treats are made in-- not sure...

I am still hunting for better treats... She doesn't like dog biscuits... (the cookies/crackers), she likes straight to the source meat flavored things, particular anything with pork in it... I hate to admit it but I've on 3 occasions given her like a tiny piece of hot dog or ham(about the size of my pinky nail).... as that's what she seems to love the most... well that and just "people food". Well depends, I give her PB sometimes but she'll only eat a certain amount. Maybe half a spoon or a spoonful. No more than that usually. (I slather it on the food dish-- allover it so she doesn't just gulp it down-- kind of a pain in the butt to clean later though).



I left her food in the room when I was away (I decided to feed her later during the day) and she just didn't eat it at all. She only came to eat it after everyone was gone and I was laying on my bed.. lol weird dog or maybe rather sweet.

You must get a tag and make sure her microchip info is updated that is very important. What I do with my dogs ID tags is I have their name on the front and put my cell phone number on the back. There really is not need to put your address just your cell number. I love fetching tags they are a little pricey but last and hold up better then any tag I have used. Hot dog isn't terrible but you are looking at serious issues by giving ham. Mine love freeze dried liver treats.

[FlyingNimbus]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

You must get a tag and make sure her microchip info is updated that is very important. What I do with my dogs ID tags is I have their name on the front and put my cell phone number on the back. There really is not need to put your address just your cell number. I love fetching tags they are a little pricey but last and hold up better then any tag I have used. Hot dog isn't terrible but you are looking at serious issues by giving ham. Mine love freeze dried liver treats.

Ok we're going soon as technically the one who adopted her has to be here. Shes mine just that it appears under my mothers name.