Every year since Abbie joined us, she has gotten a urinary tract infection in January. We have tried many times and seen many doctors trying to figure out why this happens but have had no luck. We had hoped that her being able to roam more on the new 10 acres would increase how frequently she emptied her bladder, thus decreasing the likelihood for bacteria to grow. Unfortunately we were wrong. We noticed the tell-tell signs today, and now have one puppy in training, the other in diapers. Poor, Abbie, she has been so heartbroken and dejected about another addition to the family, and now she has to deal with feeling bad and having to wear a diaper, one of her least favorite things in the world.
Naturally, one of our first projects is house training. We are trying to do this as intelligently and humanely as possible, not repeating any previous mistakes or blindly following the advice of well-meaning friends and loved ones. We've read and researched and tried to make sense of conflicting "expert" advice. Our conclusion for now is to take little Luna our for frequent potty breaks, using treats and praise as reward, preceding the trip out the door with taking her paw and patting a large jingle bell hanging from the door and saying "outside." Some say that at 10 weeks, 1 day old, Luna is too young to begin this process; others seem to think starting the process as early as possible is best. Our thought is that we have no choice but to start now. Luna is responding to the treats and praise. She potties pretty well when taken outside, but she is showing no initiative to indicate to us when she is ready to go out. We are having to watch her diligently to catch her before she begins to "have an accident." Some information suggests that we should not scare her or punish her for peeing or pooping in the house, only provide frequent potty breaks and praise her when she does the right thing. We have been doing this, but we are beginning to doubt the value of it. Somehow the lack of negative reinforcement for the accidents resonates as a potential issue. This is a work in progress, and I suspect we will adjust our methods as we see their effects.
Because we have to watch her so closely, we have "fenced in" the living area with first one thing, and then another. Even the ottoman has to be shifted so we have a view of the entire area where she can't sneak around and teedle without our seeing it. I look forward to this phase being over. Everything, for now, has to be out of its ordinary spot, but the disarray messes with my fung shui.;)
Our other project is crate training. At least for a while, we need to have a safe place for Luna when we are unable to supervise her, and the crate will provide that safety. Our research tells us to leave the crate in our common area, so she becomes accustomed to its being a regular part of comfortable life. It tells us to hide treats in there, even feed her in there if need be, to make her comfortable and confident that the crate is not punishment, that it is a safe, good place. So we moved the crate to the living room and did just that. Here, Luna checks it out. She's now taken to randomly checking it for treats. :)
Of course, helping big sister understand that she is not being superceded, and we still love her just as much as we ever have is of the utmost importance. Here Dad works on doing just that.
Naturally, one of our first projects is house training. We are trying to do this as intelligently and humanely as possible, not repeating any previous mistakes or blindly following the advice of well-meaning friends and loved ones. We've read and researched and tried to make sense of conflicting "expert" advice. Our conclusion for now is to take little Luna our for frequent potty breaks, using treats and praise as reward, preceding the trip out the door with taking her paw and patting a large jingle bell hanging from the door and saying "outside." Some say that at 10 weeks, 1 day old, Luna is too young to begin this process; others seem to think starting the process as early as possible is best. Our thought is that we have no choice but to start now. Luna is responding to the treats and praise. She potties pretty well when taken outside, but she is showing no initiative to indicate to us when she is ready to go out. We are having to watch her diligently to catch her before she begins to "have an accident." Some information suggests that we should not scare her or punish her for peeing or pooping in the house, only provide frequent potty breaks and praise her when she does the right thing. We have been doing this, but we are beginning to doubt the value of it. Somehow the lack of negative reinforcement for the accidents resonates as a potential issue. This is a work in progress, and I suspect we will adjust our methods as we see their effects.
Because we have to watch her so closely, we have "fenced in" the living area with first one thing, and then another. Even the ottoman has to be shifted so we have a view of the entire area where she can't sneak around and teedle without our seeing it. I look forward to this phase being over. Everything, for now, has to be out of its ordinary spot, but the disarray messes with my fung shui.;)
Our other project is crate training. At least for a while, we need to have a safe place for Luna when we are unable to supervise her, and the crate will provide that safety. Our research tells us to leave the crate in our common area, so she becomes accustomed to its being a regular part of comfortable life. It tells us to hide treats in there, even feed her in there if need be, to make her comfortable and confident that the crate is not punishment, that it is a safe, good place. So we moved the crate to the living room and did just that. Here, Luna checks it out. She's now taken to randomly checking it for treats. :)
Of course, helping big sister understand that she is not being superceded, and we still love her just as much as we ever have is of the utmost importance. Here Dad works on doing just that.
No comments:
Post a Comment