I was still in my pajamas when we went to the humane society at 8:30 AM. The dog was very friendly to both humans and dogs, does not pull on the leash, very nice in the car too (got inside by himself with some coaxing), he just drank some water, then lied down on the backseat and went to sleep (I think he was glad to get out of the cold).
At the humane society, I checked for the receptionist that the dog is male and not neutered. The dog appears to know something's weird was going on with all those dogs barking at him, but he didn't appear very nervous at all. The humane society people all said he seems very sweet, then they took him to the kennel. The dog seems to be in good body weight, not starved, so I hope a responsible owner comes to claim him soon.
Liana emailed to say that Brad and Lensey told her Jackson�s doing okay overall. But because Jackson was coughing a little bit, the vet wants to wait a few days to rule out respiratory infection, before starting heartworm treatment early next week. Behavior-wise, they told Liana that Jackson seems to be marking out of the crate door when they leave him in there. Also, they are worried that Jackson is barking all day when they are away. But otherwise Jackson seems to want to be with them all the time, and they are loving and enjoying him. I asked Liana how Jackson is with Brad and Lensey�s cats, and she said the cats stay at Lensey�s apartment, while Jackson stays at Brad�s. She also said Jackson doesn�t mark at all (other than when he�s in the crate) when he�s at Brad�s, but he does mark when they take him to Lensey�s. Liana had told them to just keep Jackson leashed when he�s at Lensey�s apartment.
I got a phone call from Brad tonight, telling me that Liana said to call me for advice about Jackson�s behavior issues. We only talked for about five minutes because I think Brad was driving. But I followed up via email the next day.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
My follow-up email to Brad and Lensey:
�Hi Brad and Lensey,
About Jackson marking through the crate door, to rule out that he does it because he really has to go, and not marking, I would recommend pretty much just start housetraining from the beginning, i.e. taking him out potty every two hours and every four hours during the night (it doesn't need to be a long walk each time, just five minutes is enough after you find the places where he likes to do it outside). If he's still doing it when you take him out every two hours, it's probably marking (unless your vet thinks he has a urinary tract infection, which I don't think he does).
Like I said over the phone last night, if you catch him doing it, I would bang on the crate or yell "Hey!" to startle him to make him stop (and take him out potty if you think he really needs to go; and for the first two weeks, praise him "Good boy!" when he does do it outside). But when he's doing it when you are not at home, I would recommend just putting a large towel, or the puppy pad like you said, in front of the crate door. Also remember to clean up all the urine each day, possibly with enzymatic cleaners like Nature's Miracle, so that the smell won't make him want to mark there even more. About puppy pads, remember to look for ones that does NOT contain the chemical that would actually attract the dog to urinate on it. To be on the safe side, the leak-proof pads I get are the ones they use at hospitals for humans. You can also get them at the adult diaper section at Walmart and probably Target too. I think it was $4 per 15 pads, so it's not very expensive. Also when you are at home, an alternative to crating is to have Jackson "tethered" to your waist. If you are interested in trying this method, please let us know and we'll email you more about it.
About possible separation anxiety when crated when you are not at home, in addition to asking your neighbors (maybe ask them again and ask them to be honest this time by telling them you really need to know because you are training the dog, example, does the dog bark, how long does the dog bark; if the dog doesn't bark, how about whining or howling) and the audio recorder method, another thing I do is to pretend that I've left the apartment. To do this you have to "leave" about 30 minutes early in the morning. I just put the dog in the crate, close the bedroom door (my crate is kept in the bedroom when I'm not at home), and walk to the front door, open and close the front door as though I really left (you have to do this with a smart dog like Jackson), and then be very, very quiet and sit by the front door and pretend you are gone. Since separation anxiety issues usually happen within 5 to 20 minutes of the owner's departure, you only need to hide for about 20 minutes. But remember to be very very quiet, because dogs have good hearing. Or you can really go outside of the front door and just sit outside but be very quiet and listen for barking or whining.
To help alleviate separation anxiety, personally I think one of the most important things is to make sure the dog gets enough exercise. I understand right now you can't do that with Jackson, and probably won't be able to do it for the next four to six weeks, but later definitely try to make sure he gets enough physical exercise. Another thing you can try to tire him out is mental exercise. Heartworm treatment period is perfect time to brush up on basic obedience, which doesn't require a lot of movement. If you do basic obedience with him for five to ten minutes a day, maybe two or three times a day, that would help tire him out also. I would probably try do at least one session before you leave in the morning, so he would be a little tired by the time he has to stay in the crate for several hours. Basic obedience is also good for calming a rescued dog and also for confidence building, because this lets them know that they are not the leader of the household, and this means they don't have to be up all day making sure everything in the household runs smoothly (being a leader takes a lot of work!). When they know everything will be taken care of and they don't have to be the ones in charge, especially even when the owners are not at home, it's unlikely they will have separation anxiety.
About basic obedience, for Jackson at this point, I would avoid any force-based method, that means nothing that associates with metal collar (choke or prong) method. At this point I would recommend that you focus on positive reinforcement methods, which means you ignore him when he doesn't do what you want, but praise him and give him a treat when he does.
Also, I would recommend ignoring him completely five minutes before you are about to leave, and five minutes you come home. You might try to pretend he's not there at all, not even looking or talking to him. But if you have to put him in his crate or take him out potty immediately after you get home, I would recommend that you do it in calm manner, not talking to him at all. If you make a big deal about coming home and leaving, he would see it as it's a big deal for you come home and leave everyday. For all he knows, you might be out there risking your life everyday trying to catch dinner for the family, like his wolf ancestors had to do. If you don't make it seem like it's a big deal leaving, it would help him to see it as not either.
When you are home and he's crated, or when you are coming home and he's crated, try very hard not to speak or look at him or let him out when he's barking or howling or whining. Because if you do, this teaches him that by barking, he'll be let out. For the first time, he might be a little persistent. After he sees you after several hours of absence, he might start barking, so you might have to wait in the other room for ten minutes, doing something else and NOT acknowledging him, before he quiets down. When he does get quiet for one minute or five minutes (at the beginning I would try one minute of no barking, then work up to five minutes), then you go open his crate door. So he would realize the key to be let out is to be patient for only a few minutes after you get home. And remember he might be persistent the first couple times of this training. But remember not to give in, if you do, HE's training YOU! Just like my sister's cat would meow when we put her in her carrier. The first time she did it, I think she meowed for five minutes, then we let her out because she looked so pitiful. Then the next time we put her in her carrier, she got more persistent and meowed for ten minutes before we decided to let her out. In a sense, she was training us, to cater to her wants. Now she can meow for more than three hours straight if she has to, to make us let her out. Don't make this mistake with Jackson in the crate! What we should've done with my sister's cat is to just let her meow in her carrier for however long the very first time, I doubt that would be more than 20 minutes, then she would probably stop meowing and sit quietly in the carrier. Now she knows she just needs to meow a little longer and we'll let her out. I don't think you want to have this happen to you with a 50 lb dog.
There are more things you can do to alleviate separation anxiety and also to make crating a more positive experience. Like we discussed over the phone, I would only give all the best goodies (treats or toys) when he's in a crate. If you know what he's favorite toy is (probably a stuffed animal that has your scent on it), put that in his crate in the morning before you leave. And also if you know what his favorite treat is, leave it in the crate ONLY when he's in the crate with the door closed. So he would start to associate that the best goodies come when he's alone in the apartment in the crate, so he might even start looking forward to being alone and in the crate because that means he gets to relax (after exercise) and to have his favorite goodies. To extend the time he has the treats, you could try getting a Kong toy or any treat dispensing toys. You could try to give Jackson a little bit of peanut butter to make sure he's not allergic to it. If he's okay with it, I would mix a little bit of peanut butter with biscuit treats, and put that mixture into the Kong, so he would have like an hour or two to lick it in the crate while you are gone during the day. But if he doesn't finish the treats when you come back, remember to remove them so he won't get them when you are at home. This would make the crate alone time seem more special to him.
Also another thing I would recommend checking out is to make sure the cats aren't taunting Jackson when he's in the crate. My cat is dog-savvy enough that she has never done that, but my sister's younger cat has done that ever since she was a kitten at the animal shelter. She and an adult cat would stroll back and forth in front of the dog cages to make the dogs bark at them. My sister doesn't have a dog, but her younger cat still likes to tease the dogs when she can. If needed, you might have to separation the dog crate and the cats during the day, like keeping the cats in the livingroom if the dog crate is in the bedroom.
Another thing is the position of the crate. Among my five Springer fosters, two of them like the crate by the bedroom window, so they can look out. If the crate's not by the window, they would whine. Whereas with the three others, I think there's too much distraction for them when the crate is right by the window, they would actually make more noise when somebody walks by the window. But they still like to be near the window so they can see the trees and sky and the sun outside. By the way, all my fosters transitioned to staying in the livingroom or have the run of the apartment eventually, but they all started staying the crate when I first got them, to make sure they are fully potty trained and also I think the crate can make them feel more secure in certain situations. Also, if you decide to put the crate by the window, you might want to make sure the sun doesn't shine directly into the crate anytime during the day while you are gone, because it can get really hot in the crate when it does.
I know this is a long email, but I just want to let you know that there are many training options and certainly Jackson's issues are definitely manageable and trainable. And again please do not hesitate to contact any one of us if you have any questions.�
Sunday night Liana emailed to say that Lensey called her and said Jackson had pooped in the crate and that they really can�t deal with Jackson�s issues anymore and want him moved. So Liana emailed Millie in Birmingham (about an hour from Tuscaloosa) to see if she would take Jackson for foster, instead of a female Springer they had planned earlier this week, and Liana also asked me if I could help transport Jackson back to Opelika if needed. I told Liana that I have no problem taking Jackson back to Opelika, and if she already has a foster home lined up and knows Jackson would be transported to another foster home in a week, I would be willing to temporarily foster Jackson for up to one week.
Liana emailed tonight again, to say that Lensey and Brad called them back to say they had a �knee-jerk reaction� when they saw the poop, but now they�ve reconsidered and would like to keep Jackson until he�s done with heartworm treatment. I was thinking last night too that they probably have never cleaned up a dog covered with urine and feces before (which is common for a dog who just came from the shelter), and since this is their first dog since adulthood, probably their parents did most of the dog cleaning with their previous dogs. So even though they lived with dogs all their lives, I don�t think they�ve had a lot of responsibilities associated owning a dog.
Monday, February 13, 2006
I was thinking maybe Jackson pooped in the crate because he had diarrhea, because he seemed potty trained and certainly did not seem like he would poop in the crate. Also, I thought it was very strange if he did have diarrhea a week after they�ve had him, whereas most new dogs get diarrhea almost right away if they are not used to the new food. Liana said Brad told him they don�t think Jackson had diarrhea, but they are not sure. Liana also said Brad seems to want to keep Jackson, but Lensey is thinking about keeping Jackson at least until heartworm treatment�s over also.
Heather said Keely, � knew sit, down, get down (like off the bed or furniture), off (not jumping up on me, but this one was very tough for her when I first got home from work especially with my wacko dogs :-), lie down. Not anything spectacular, but her previous family did do some basic things with her so I meant she came with some knowledge of some commands vs. most of my fosters who know nothing.... She knew to sit for her meals and for her leash to be put on, but she would try and get away with not, if you let her or didn't reinforce which I did. She didn't know to walk on a loose leash though.� Keely has no problem walking on loose leash now, so I�m very glad that Heather worked with her on that.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
I asked Liana how often do Brad and Lensey let Jackson out potty, because they did ask me how often he was let out, and I told them, �the vet clinic does it twice a day�, but I didn�t elaborate on it and tell them how often do I think Jackson should be let out, because I thought they would have basic knowledge of taking care of a dog, especially Lensey indicated in their foster home application of how many dogs they�ve had in their families. Now I�m wondering if their family dogs are indoor/outdoor dogs or outdoor dogs only, and that�s the reason why they asked me how often he was let out potty, because even if nobody tells me how often the dog should be let out, I would at least let the dog out potty four times a day, and definitely more often during the first week when the dog�s a little �confused� or the dog does not seem like potty trained.
Liana added, �I do think Brad will bond with Jackson if given time. He did mention how much Jackson wants to be with them, and what a sweetie he is. Brad also said that when he came home the other day, he parked far away from his apartment and walked up quietly and didn't hear a peep from Jackson inside. So, he thinks the barking the other day was due to Jackson hearing the car door close in front of the apartment.
Jackson is also doing well with the cats. They swat at him if he gets too close, and he backs off. However, Jackson does mark at Lensey's apartment (where the cats are kept). So, I told him he must keep Jackson on a leash whenever they go to her apartment so they can stop him as he begins to lift his leg. I think they can extinguish that behavior fairly quickly. Jackson has never marked at Brad's apartment.� When Jackson was here, he got a little excited trying to get me to pet him and he jumped on me. He had only done that once during the week I went to visit him, so I think he's like Jake, not a natural jumper. Also, if Jackson�s a �man�s dog� like Jake is, I�m sure he�ll bond with Brad quickly.
About three weeks ago, I started giving Keely slippery elm powder (for diarrhea and loose stool), two capsules per day (about half teaspoon) for about two weeks. Then last week I started giving her only one capsule per day. I stopped giving her slippery elm powder about three days before her surgery. Because Keely's taking antibiotics after her surgery, I started giving her slippery elm and probiotics mixture again, about two hours after giving her antibiotics, twice a day. So far she has had no diarrhea or loose stool from taking the antibiotics. I will try her on some lamb and beef again to see if she's really sensitive to them, after she's finished with the antibiotic treatment.
I had been practicing with Keely a few times a day since a week ago to teach her the "Stand" command. By 5 PM today, she still appeared to have no clue what this word means. However, in class, she did it with the treat lure, and I didn't have to nudge her with my foot anymore! Keely still has trouble Stay while I'm circling around her in public though, even though she does it about 70% of the time at home.
Today in class, Riley the Min Pin was there. Karlene the instructor is very careful with him this time, because after the end of class two weeks ago, Riley's owner stayed after class to ask Karlene for more help about Riley's hyper behavior. When Karlene put her hand on Riley's back to have him sit, Riley bit her. Riley also pulls badly on leash, so his mom got him a new collar since two weeks ago, because the old collar was causing Riley to have a bare circle around his neck. When we were practicing heel with turns at the beginning of the class, Riley slipping out of his new collar and ran around in the Petco store, and it took three employees to get him back (Riley's mom works at Petco too). Both Riley and Lexie, the Pom, are still dominant and hyper in class today. They gave lots of dominant stares to all the dogs. The Lab mixes responded by barking at them, but Keely and Gemma, Karlene's dog, didn't pay any attention to the toy dogs at all. This week we learned Stand-Stay, Down, and were told to practice more on Recall.
A GSD and his owner came to sign up for class. The GSD barked at every dog he saw. Since today there's an obedience class, there's quite a few more dogs in the store than normally would. The two Lab mixes (Abby and Rebel) responded by barking back, and Lexie and Riley's parents kept feeding them treats to keep them from looking at the GSD. When Keely and I passed by the GSD, he barked at Keely of course, but Keely just ignored him and didn't even look at him. The last twenty minutes of the class, Keely felt relaxed enough that she actually stretched all out and lied on her side. She did sit up when the two toys dogs started barking again, but I would say Keely's feeling a lot more comfortable in obedience class. When Rebel and Lexie barked when we were practicing one of the commands, Karlene went over and jerked on their leashes and said "No!" I don't think this is part of the positive reinforcement method, but I could tell today Karlene is under some stress. And then she said next week we might or might not have class, because the hospital is going to call her to schedule a test that she really needs. Karlene is usually a pretty calm and patient person, but I think today she's on short fuse because she's under some physical pain.
One more class next week and we are done with basic obedience! Then next week Saturday Keely and I are going to Atlanta for the CGC practice. That also means we have a week and half to practice A LOT more with the Stay command, and also just general obedience without using treats.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
I started feeding Keely barley powder twice a day with her probiotics. I'm hoping that with this supplement, she would decrease her need to munch on grass on walks.
Keely with her "cap and gown and diploma" at the obedience class graduation last night! Yesterday we learned the Finish and Rest commands. Finish is just the dog would sit right next to the handler's left or right side, instead of sitting in front. Rest is lying on the side stretched out. We also practiced last week's homework. Everybody's doing pretty well. Karlene the instructor asked Keely and I to show everybody how we did the Stand-Stay for vet examination, and she told everybody to practice that their dogs can do it just like Keely! I was so proud of Keely! She just stood still like Stacking in show ring while I touched her all over.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Keely and I met two Springers today! We saw a black and white one at the pet supply store when we went in to have her anal glands emptied (they weren't full though, I wonder if Keely has tapeworm, which has happened to most of my fosters). Then we met a liver and white one while we were on our campus walk tonight. This dog, Riley, looked so much like Jackson that I stared at him/her for full five seconds. Too bad his/her owner pulled on the dog's choke chain when the dog and Keely tried to sniff each other.
About two weeks ago, Keely threw up bile around noon when I came home. I think it was because she decided not to eat breakfast that morning. So I mixed her food with some canned food and she ate it with no problem. Also she had normal stool.
Friday, February 17, 2006
About two weeks ago I started letting Anastasia stay in the bedroom with Keely, if the cat wants. Then about a week ago, I started weaning Keely off Comfort Zone, which was plugged in during the day when I was gone. I've also occasionally not leaving any food in the bedroom during the day this week. So far Keely does not seem to have any problem not having any food for Comfort Zone plugged in for 7 to 8 hours while I'm at school. I do leave her box of toys in the bedroom though (I trust Anastasia enough that she won't cause Keely to be "possessive" over the toys while I'm not there to supervise; Keely has never shown possessiveness of her toys against Anastasia anyways), and I've always closed the bathroom door for now (which I will do until I can be sure Keely won't go through the kitty litter box). Also this week I started to put a small bowl of water in the bedroom right before I leave for school, this is instead of a bowl of food. So far no potty accident with the water bowl in the room.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
For three days earlier this week, Keely was acting very strange, whenever I gave her a bear hug (have my arms around her body and neck, sometimes my body shielding her face), she would growl. Most of the time Anastasia's nowhere in sight, so I think she was growling at me for hugging her. I almost made reservation with the vet to have her thyroid level checked. Anyways, last night and this morning she seems to be back to normal and let me hug her with no problem. I don't know what caused her growling at me, I was thinking maybe her suture was causing her pain, because I stopped making her wear the fleece PJ on Monday because it started getting warm. And I would just let her lick her incisions because I figured they were probably pretty healed by then. Then a few hours after that she started growling at me for hugging her. So for the last three days, I tried to desensitize her by touching her only when I'm hugging her, so the only petting she would get from me is when I'm hugging her. And also I tried a couple times bribing her with food (Keely never growls when she's eating treats). Anyways, it's nice to have the cuddly bear back.
Keely has been getting Wellness fish treats four times a day (twice with antibiotics and twice with probiotics) for the past week and half. So far no loose stool or diarrhea for two weeks. So this confirms the theory that Keely is okay eating fish meat.
I was lying on my back on the livingroom floor talking to Virginia. Keely was a little hyper because she had been playing with her toys just a few minutes before. Then she came over and humped my arm! I just pushed her away. The more I know about Keely, the more I wonder if she and Brenna are biologically related.
I brush Keely every other day, however, when I was brushing Keely today, I found two small mats in her armpits. I couldn't believe it at first, I've been so diligent about keeping her show-bred coat clean (show-bred coats take more work than field-bred coats). But I guess I just missed those spots when I had been brushing her. I ended up just cutting the mats out.
Monday, February 20, 2006
This morning we went to the vet to have Keely's sutures removed. The vet said the incisions healed well. On the way coming back, Keely threw up her breakfast in the car. I think either she was too nervous, or they strapped her down over her abdomen at the vet, that caused her to throw up. Anyways, no more meals for at least two hours before future vet visits.
I was wondering how Jackson was doing, and Liana emailed to say that Jackson had started heartworm treatment last week, and that �They are going to keep him through the treatment, but aren't sure if they are going to adopt him or not. Feel free to email with them at any time. The more points of support they have, the better. I know it can be overwhelming to own a dog on your own for the first time, especially one with medical problems.�
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
I emailed Lensey and Brad to see how�s Jackson doing, and Lensey emailed back asking me to call her ASAP. So I did. Lensey told me that Jackson had gotten out of the crate somehow, they don�t know how, and he peed all over the room. When they told the apartment manager, he said he will charge them $1000 to replace the carpet, even though Lensey said he probably won�t and would probably just clean the carpet. Also, Lensey said Jackson�s being destructive and have chewed off blinds and other stuff, which would cost them another $300 to replace. So she said what should they do to have us take Jackson back. I told her I can come to pick him up this weekend, but she said they were thinking dropping him off in Auburn tonight. Tonight! I was a little flustered and speechless for a few seconds. The Lensey added if not tonight, then tomorrow morning, but if tomorrow, it would have to be early morning and I would have to meet her half way (it�s three hours each way between Auburn and Tuscaloosa), because she has class at 11 tomorrow morning. She said they are busy the rest of the week with work and school (and she didn�t want to wait until the weekend). So I told Lensey I would call her back. In the mean time, I called and emailed both Liana and Heather asking what to do. When they didn�t respond in 30 minutes, I called Lensey back and asked her to hang on for a few more hours until we can figure this out. She said she and Brad have tonight off, so they are prepared to drive Jackson all the way to Auburn if needed.
I also told her if they absolutely cannot tolerate having Jackson at Brad's place for another day (I said it in a nice way), then they can probably board Jackson at their vet's for the night until somebody can go get him. But she said they can take one more night.
Heather then called me back and said she will take Jackson, since Marty (her mixed breed foster) went to Maryland for Narcotic Police Dog training. So she will call people and see if somebody can meet me halfway on the way to Atlanta to transport Jackson to her. I told Heather and emailed Liana and told her since Jackson's going to be moved within a week, I can keep him with me (and probably keep him at boarding kennel during the day until he's transported.
Liana also emailed back and said to go ahead and work out transport time with Brad and Lensey.
So I called Lensey back, and she said she and Brad will bring Jackson's stuff to Petco tonight at 7 PM (Keely and I are going to obedience class from 6-7 there). About heartworm treatment, she said the vet said Jackson�s heartworm infestation's pretty bad, so they gave him one shot a week ago, then three weeks from now, Jackson's supposed to get two more shots. But she said she'll run by the vet office today before going home to pick up Jackson's records.