Puppy Class 3

Xena is coming along well. Today's class was great. We worked on getting her to go 'down'. Being a large puppy she 'bow's first. Also teaching how to 'roll over'. Teacher showed us some other doggie tricks with her dog too.

Teacher has a very cute terrier who sits up, does 'stick em up' and 'bang' plays dead... its sooooo cute! I don't really want to teach Xena tricks... do I???? hmmm

I came home and practised getting Xena to leave it. Hoping that will help her with the cat.

Next week our puppies will be assessed and certificates awarded. Then there is obedience school.

Xena was quite boisterous in school today... as long as she was on the leash! Take her off and she was a chicken!

Oh and the guy never came to fix the fence :o( but Xena, smart as she is, has figured out....

go through hole... go on chain
go through hole... go on chain
hole = chain

Puppy Blues

Xena has discovered 2 holes in the back fence (hiden under a mountain of ivy). I am going insane keeping her on a chain and walking her on the lead for hours in back yard. Even the kids are sick of it. I feel sorry for the dog too. I have a man coming on Sunday to fix the fence but wow I am major stressed. Having a puppy is becoming a really exausting thing. Not much fun anymore. I'm all played out.

Anyway its only tempory. Once that fence is fixed she can run around again. I have been teaching her to get used to being outside alone now. I'd rather do it at day time than night when she may annoy the neighbours.

The cat seems to be improving. They have even touched noses and sat in the same room together.


Went to puppy classes the other day and it made me feel better. Good to see Im not the only one struggling this week. Our goal for this week is to teach the puppies to drop (lay down) and to work on the lead. Im having more success with the lead.

Anyways I'm off to work now. Hope Xena will be good while Im out.

"Fetch"

"Ridgeback psychology is not your strong point, and even you can read his expression which says "go fetch it yourself".

This from the Rhodesian Ridgeback International Foundation.

Guess what?

Xena plays Fetch! She will chase her stuffed toys that have been thrown and she will retrieve them... 75% of the time. The other 25% she will bring them close to me but not close enough that I can get them off her. Cuz she'd love me to chase her and play tug of war too hehe.

Even I'm amazed she is playing Fetch. My 12 year old Mona got her started on it yesterday. Today we played Fetch for about an hour.



Another interesting thing happened today. I went outside with Xena. My daughter 12 went out the back as well but Xena didn't see her. Daughter went right down the back of the yard, through the bushes and under the trees to play. Meanwhile Xena and I were doing our thing. After a while we relaxed and Xena laid near me chewing on her squeaky toy in a pile of fallen leaves. My daughter decided to come back up to the house.

Xena heard her moving through the undergrowth, her ears pricked up (kinda) and she listened. She heard some cracking of leaves underfoot, Xena stood up.

Then she saw legs....

What amazed me was that she crouched and went low while still eyeing those legs moving towards the house. She couldn't see it was my daughter.

She lifted her crouched body a little and much like a cat would do when another cat comes onto its territory.... then she growled a long low growl.

As daughter came out from the bushes, Xena stood up all stiff. I spoke to her calmly, 'its ok'

It took her a moment to register that it was my daughter... she looked, and looked again.. passed a thought telepathically 'what's that child doing down in the backyard without telling me she was going down there' (hehe).. grr... then laid back down.'

Of course I called her over to me for a big cuddle... Xena :P

My daughter went and got her a doggy treat just in case there were any hard feelings but there weren't.

Cats and Dogs

Angel, the cat, came home late last night. She has been grounded! She is not going out again for a while. I took her over to Xena again. Xena was sleeping at the time. Angel didn't fight or struggle she just wet herself... and my hand... and the floor. I am really surprised by her fear. Maybe because the puppy is as big as a fully grown Jack Russel she thinks its an older dog.I don't know. I would like them to be friends but also respect the cats need to have a safe space.

I took Xena to the kids school again yesterday. She is not the scared puppy I first picked up. She is quite happy sniffing around the park and playing in the sand. She's also much better in the back yard. Not trying to hide but listening to noises.

Although Xena still jumps up a little it has been not to bad in the last 24 hours with the kids. Mona tried walking towards her, rather than standing still or turning her back on her. This gently threw Xena off balance and she cut out the jumping. Although the dog trainer at puppy class has taught us heaps I also found a few good sites online that deal with the more dominant minded breeds of dog. That's where we found out about walking into the jump. If she jumps on me she gets the 'Cesar Millan.' (Anyone who watches the show would know what I mean... on her side on the floor, held down.)

My boyfriend who used to have very large pig hunting dogs (mostly ridgeback x rotties/ labs) on the farm growing up says to put their front leg through the collar. Which is a good idea too... if the other things don't work.

I don't like putting Xena in the laundry during the day. But I do it anyway to show her that I can do it if I want to. I assure you its a good sized laundry. Today I played outside with her for an hour after morning work and gave her a bone. Then we came inside and I placed her in the laundry. I honestly don't want her under my feet 24/7. Does that sound selfish? Probably. She cried a little then had her nap. If I feel she is going to nap anyways, she may as well do it in her kennel... not under my legs. I cleaned the house just trying to get her used to household noises while she's in there. Every now and then she would cry and scratch the door then go back to rest. Part of me feels guilty but the gut feeling is I'm doing the right thing.

The laundry has her kennel, mat, rotated toys, water, no food bowl as I gave her lunch outside and blankie. It also has her puppy peeing mat which is fresh.

I can't wait for her to be an outside dog more than an inside one. It's just that she's a little young right now. This afternoon I will take her to a new park near where my younger daughter is playing netball. There is a pond there with geese and ducks. I want to see how she is with them.

For a ridgeback, she doesn't seem to have too great a prey drive. She was eating her bone earlier and a lot of birds came down for the figs in the backyard (I don't mind sharing) She watched them but really wasn't interested. She enjoyed her bone. Then a pigeon flew right up to us and landed about a meter from Xena. She watched it with a kind of 'What is that?' whimsical look on her face but still laid there chewing her bone.

Although we don't need Xena to be a farm dog, both my partner and I have grown up in country areas and think dogs shouldn't go other animals unless instructed to. Anyways its all quiet here. I'm going to read up a bit more and get the floors mopped.

Whimper, Cry and Howl

Day 5 with Xena. She is a very fortunate puppy to have a Mummy that works in peoples homes... therefore able to pop into home for a while here and there. Xena doesn't like being left in the laundry but it is safe, clean and lots of fun thing for her to play with. Whimper.... whimper... whimper.

Just like the 2nd night home I am having to listen to my puppy cry. It sucks. Xena has started to sleep well at night though now. She only cried about 10 minutes last night before settling down.

Today I've been home for 2 hours from work The kids are at school. Xena has eaten and played outside with me for a long time. I brought her back inside for quiet time. I unpacked shopping and started to tidy the house. Then I took a coffee break and instead of letting her sit under my legs.... I put her in the laundry.

I don't mind Xena sleeping or walking in the house but she needs to learn that she is also ok by herself. This is because eventually I will be putting her outside while I'm at work and I don't want her crying, whimpering and howling there.

I also need to do things like mop the floor, and that means I don't want a puppy chasing the mop or walking on the wet spots. I do feel guilty putting her in the laundry, but there should always be a place in the house that we can safely place her when we don't feel like having a large dog around... say when young children are over or my elderly mother comes to stay.

Yes I know.... proper training should mean she will be well behaved around people... I just can't `100% trust a dog what will grow to be the size of a small pony.

There she's settled down now. Sounds like she's off to sleep.

I have to go do all my ironing in the section of the house she is not allowed into. Now I don't have to worry about her tearing up anything in the living areas while I'm at it.

Oh... I have trained Xena to 'wait' The puppy class teacher said something about teaching a dog not only to stay but to wait. Cant remember exactly what she said but I think the idea is that if you ask a dog to stay you will eventually call it to come to you. If you ask it to wait, you will be back shortly and it needs to relax about that.

Whenever I go into the sleeping section of the house I tell Xena wait and I close the door. At first she sulked till I came back a minute later. Now she just trots off and has a drink or something. She handles it well. That's ok for a couple of minutes.

I'm pretty sure she knows her name now... though she doesn't always choose to acknowledge it. Xena also knows 'come'.

One thing that is bothering the kids is her continuing jumping up on them when she first sees them and is excited. We will be dealing with it tomorrow morning... see how it goes.

The cat came home breifly yesterday. She ate and left.... haven't seen her since. Kids were happy to see her. My elder daughter followed her and found her in the secret garden... yes our house has a secret garden down the back. I wish she'd come home.

On the other hand, for a puppy that hasn't looked twice at the cat, I heard Xena growling and tearing something apart this morning... it was the cats bed! I've never heard her play so visciously. Perhaps the cat is right!

The Cat Has Elected to Leave Home

The night before I picked up Xena I was at a Kareoke bar talking to my friend Carole about introducing the new puppy to my 4 year old cat named Angel.

I love Angel, she is a rescue kitten. She and her siblings had been placed in a cardbord box and thrown into the swan river after birth. The box drifted a little and began to sink as the asshole left them to their fate. A walker heard them meowing and rescued them. Some had drowned.

Angel has always had a sweet temperment. She has been wonderful with my young children who would dress her up, lay next to her and play with her constantly. She sleeps on all of our beds during the night in a rotation. She talks to us when she needs to be fed, let out or petted.

For our part I believe we have been loving owners and that she has had a good life and been well looked after. She met a puppy a year ago that stayed with us for a week. At first she hissed and carried on but after 4 days they would be in the same room without any problems.

So when I bought Xena home I expected a bit of hissing but that they would bond and it would be ok. I also worried that the puppy, being a hunting dog, may naturally want to chase and eat her.

Xena met Angel 2 days ago. Xena was asleep under my feet when the cat came over and sniffed her. The cat seemed nervous but ok. Xena slept on.

Several times Angel walked past her, stopped and then darted off. Xena watched and then went back to playing.


Yesterday I had Xena on the leash and introduced Angel to her. The puppy went and touched noses with her and then moved back behind my legs. Angel stood her ground and began to hiss, and hiss and hiss some more. Xena began to get bored, laid down and started dozing off. A good reaction from the puppy who was born into a house with cats and clearly doesn't mind them.

We petted Angel and fed her breakfast outside. Thats the last time she was in the house. It is the second night she has not come home. I saw her in the backyard this morning but she would not come to have her breakfast. I haven't seen her since.

No the puppy hasn't eatten her!

I miss my cat. The kids are really missing her too. I told Carole at Karaoke that if the dog and cat didnt get on then the puppy would have to go. Right now, well Im sorry but I've changed my mind. That spoilt bloody cat! After 4 years of love and food she walks away like that! Well the puppy is here to stay then. At least dogs pine their owners.

I feel so hurt by the cat and at the same time Im worried about her and hoping she will come back. They have seperate sections in the house and the cat doesnt have to interact with the dog if she doesnt want to. I miss Angel sooooooo much it makes me cry. I hope she comes back.

I'm worried about her too. She's a good hunter and there is a creek down th side of my home so I know she has access to water and bugs/ mice which she always enjoyed eating but I don't like her to be a stray. Maybe she's found a new home. She's a friendly and affectionate cat. I wouldn't mind if I knew she was ok... I just hate not knowing.

I washed up her biscuit and water containers tonight. Every time the kids see them they ask me about her and get sad. I think its better that I put them away till the cat returns.

It's 1am and everyone is asleep... even the dog :) Im up just listening... waiting to here Angel meow to come let her in. But its quiet.

Xena Day 3

Last night Xena slept quite well, after 20 minutes of crying. This morning we were awoken at 6am- again. Took her outside and let her play with her toys. The kids practised having her stay down by standing still with their arms crossed and turning their back on her/ walking away slowly if she continued to rough play with them. I realised she is just as contented tearing around the yard with a toy hanging out her mouth as she is chasing kids around the yard... so no more of that. My children are not prey. Had I not gone to puppy class yesterday I wouldn't have realised that's how she was seeing them. She's such a beautiful looking puppy. Most people stop and say awwweeee and wow 'he' will be big.

I took Xena for a car ride. She really didn't want to leave the house and cried in the car a little. We arrived at the RSPCA as I wanted to take her toy shopping. She was good at first. Met a few people happily... seems to like males more than females, in the sense of she wagged her tail and smiled at a male vet who walked past but sat still and looked down when I woman started talking to me.

To get to the RSPCA doggy shop you have to walk past the kennels. All the dogs were barking like crazy. I was carrying Xena but she began shaking when she heard the dogs. I took her home. She jumped out of the car straight away and ran, on the leash, to our front door. Its a tough world out there for Miss Xena. I feel a little sad cuz I think she may not be a dog who will go for walks. I also would have liked her to have a couple of litters of puppies. I am reconsidering. Many years ago I had purebred bull terriers I used to show so I have the breeder mentality I guess... don't breed nervous bitches. I don't know if Xena is genetically this way or if it has been environmental. We can see how she goes. My gut instinct is that she will be an excellent dog but to have her desexed.

I took her home and put her in the laundry. I went shopping and bought her some more toys by myself. Also found her a nice sheepskin rug to lay on.

After I came home we went outside and practised her 'come,' 'sit,' and 'Xena' she did well.

Later in the day I took Xena to pick the kids up from school. I waited in the playgound. My kids had afterschool sport so there were no kids around. She loved the playground. She sniffed the large trees, ran through the white playground sand and dug a hole under the cubby house where the sand was damp underneath. She had a lot of fun. She was happy to see the kids, they played on the swings while she rolled in her hole and covered herself in dirt !

Puppy Classes Lesson 1

Carry your puppy into the class cuz the bitumen is very hot. I carried her anyways as she was being a chicken. I went into class. There were about 8 puppies all up. I kind of thought they'd all be running wild but I spent most of the hour lesson with her on my lap! Heavy! The teacher was fantastic. The kids and I learnt so much (wasn't really any point bringing the puppy haha). Anyways I finally got to see Xena with other dogs and it wasn't good. She was cowering with her tail between her legs- something the instructor pointed out to me. She had been panting before that loudly and I was wondering why as she had water... but these are all signs of stress. The instructor found a 'hiding hole' for her and said she would come out when she was ready. She did... and went straight under my legs. A couple of puppies could reach her and she did have a little sniff before moving away from them. She wasn't aggressive at all... just couldn't seem to cope with it. Trainer told me its really important for her to go out and be socialised now, even though she hasn't had her last shot. She told me to take her everywhere and to carry her so she can see whats going on but not be overwhelmed having to deal with it all.

Some of the puppies sat quietly, 2 played till they began to work up and then we were all asked to put our puppies on our laps. We did some slow doggy massage on their head and necks. Xena fell asleep on me. Another came in late with a puppy that went off the moment she saw the other puppies. She barked a lot. So every puppy is different. They are all sweet yet all have their problems. This made me feel more confident about Xena's growling.

We spent most of the lesson discussing bad habits and the correct way to fix them....

Growling... from now on when I wake Xena to move her she will wake to a yummy treat on her nose. Waking up and moving will be a good experience. Growling at any other time will be met with walking away slowly and ignoring her for 1 minute. She was the only growler in the class.. she was also the only dog cowering. But its ok... I like challenges :) Trainer told me she'd is ok with being growled at cuz that's a warning that there is a problem. Next comes the bite and that will be without warning. So growling is a way of the dog giving you a chance to back off and come at it from another... positive angle.

NB: After thinking about it Xena did one other thing before growling. She blew me off. I went to move her she looked and then looked away like she was ignoring me. Then she growled lowly, then louder. All warning signs that she was threatening me.

Jumping up... cross your hands and stay still... no sound at all until she moves away. Almost all the dogs were jumping. Xena does a little in the morning when she hasn't seen you all night but honestly until I have my coffee I'm only sleep walking anyway and she wont be getting any reaction haha.

Jumping on people as they come in the door. When you come home ignore the dog until it sits on its bum.... then pet it. It will learn quick enough that it will get a nice pet if it isn't rudely jumping all over people when they come in.

Mouthing... The game ends immediately and you move away silently and ignore the puppy. By 4 months you will have a dog with big teeth and it will hurt. No rough play around the dogs head as this makes them head shy and more likely to growl and bite when trying to feed, muzzle them etc...

Digging... Dogs dig holes to cool them self in. She recommended giving them a spot in the garden, digging it out, putting a pig ear in it. Refilling it, wetting it and letting t find that spot so that can be their spot. This was not approved of by the most people there who loved their gardens... but almost all of them had diggers. She said if you allow it to chose its own spot it will pick something near the reticulation as its cooler and find the plastic pipes to 'oh what fun' chew on. Xena started to dig a spot the other day but we distracted her by playing. She said any holes the dog does dig... fill it in and put its poop on it and it wont dig there again.

Barking... immediately walk the dog from the room. As soon as it is quiet say 'Quiet'... don't say it while its barking or it will think quiet means bark. Return it to area. If it barks again... redo.

Tail chasing.... Loud clap of hands immediately. Distraction. It can become compulsive so don't let it start.

Taking items it shouldn't take... no reaction at all. Simply grab a squeaky toy etc and distract dog with it. You can go and get the item after it is off playing with something else.

Crying at night... completely ignore. Get earplugs, it should be over in a few days.

Other than that we also discussed one puppy whose owners were at work 8 hours each day. Puppy was left in a large room and shredding its toilet bedding and weeing everywhere. Trainer couldn't say much about that (don't think she was impressed). She did show us food cones and food balls. These were really cool. I will be picking one up tomorrow for Xena. She can have it at night. Then if she wakes up to cry at least her evening meal in a cone will keep her busy.

On toys... keep them in a toy box. Bring out 3 a day. Let her play with them and then return them to the box. Next day different toys. Rotate toys over a few days to a week. This keeps toys new and interesting and stops her looking to create new ones from your furniture.

Trainer recommended putting vics vapor rub on leashes if the dogs bite them and on furniture or citronella spray.

I also need to find out about noxious plants as I have a lot of trees in the back yard and she's chewing on the pods.

You know.... I don't think I would have bought Xena if I had known she had shyness issues. She is going to be a very big dog and I have kids. It would have worried me a lot. However, after the first doggy training class... I feel confident enough to cope with it. I'm not a mushy person. I'm not a hard person either, though I can be when I need to be. I'm not looking at her as a big puppy anymore. More a sweet puppy whose quiet loving but has a confidence problem. Maybe another person wouldn't be able to handle her... I work with the elderly and disabled people.. I have tons of patience. Maybe I will be good for her. I hope so.

Doggy Facial- Body Expression and dog training site
www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpret.html


UNDERSTANDING EXPRESSIONS

Happy: A happy, confident dog has his mouth slightly open and may be showing part of his tongue.

Worried: If your dog has his mouth clenched tightly shut and is turning his head away from something he’s seen, this is a signal that he is feeling insecure and worried. It is a pacifying rather than an aggressive gesture.

Curious: A dog that keeps his mouth shut but is looking ahead with his ears slightly up is interested in something he has seen.

Listening: Standing still with his mouth shut and ears straight up means the dog has heard something and is now trying to work out what it is.

Anxious: If your dog is afraid of something he will lower his head and pull his ears back. The lips are loose or pulled back.

Threatening: Your dog will curl his lips back to expose his teeth and gums. He will often do this after some other, more subtle, signals – such as looking away – have failed.

Aggressive: A dog that opens his mouth, wrinkles his nose and exposes all his teeth is giving a final warning that he is about to bite.

From
http://www.havehappydogs.com/understanding-dog-mouth-expressions/

This weeks task...

Sit

Your dog will be standing. Have a treat in your hand. Trainer uses deboned cooked chicken thighs cut into small pieces. Say good dog over and over and let it lick your hand but not get the treat. Once the dog has naturally sat down say 'sit' and open your hand.

Easy as that. Spend 3 minutes x twice a day.

Xena

All the dogs name means is pay attention to me (owner). Have the dog siting and you standing. Hold the treat out and lower it to her nose then raise it to your eyes saying Xena. Then when she has made eye contact, lower the treat down to her and give it to her 'eat.'

Cone Training

To teach the dog to use a cone, fill it with mayonnaise or phili cream cheese smeared around inside to teach dog to lick into it. Then fill lightly with its food. Don't pack tight.

Other training

If your dog is walking toward you say 'Come'

If your dog sits down say 'Sit'

If your dog paws you hold it's paw and say 'Paw.' Once you've named a behavior you don't have to ask for it again and it won't do it again.

Distract it from doing 'naughty' things with its toys.

Remember that dogs see things differently. You can train it to sit in the tiled kitchen then ask it to perform its new trick in the carpeted living area and it wont do it. You must train it in different spots and on different surfaces.

Feeding... who says it should be from a bowl. Throw their biscuits around the garden... so she can occupy her time sniffing them out. Hide a cone somewhere in the garden. At least one meal a day should be like this.

I need to buy...

A cone and ball feeder
A lot more toys... some squeaky to gain her attention
A cleaning product that removes doggy smells
A doggy deodoriser
A drink bottle for dogs
Chicken thighs/ sausages... cook and cut up into 5 cent piece size. Enough in each bag for 1 meal.
Sandwich bags
Earplugs

Well its the end of day two. I hope she sleeps tonight. She's been so much calmer this afternoon. We all have.

I have looked up plants toxic to Dogs and Apricot seeds are poisonous. I have a lot of fruit trees including an apricot but it doesn't fruit much... will have to keep an eye on it dropping fruit.

Xena at her new home

We picked up Xena, previously known as 'Puppy' from her old home on the 12th of February 2010. She is 8 1/2 weeks old and a purebred ridgeback -without papers. I had been to see her a couple of days before and met the parents. Big dogs! She is the last of the puppies. She wasn't the runt but the others in her litter grew up faster than her. The breeder showed me the dad who was the runt of his litter and probably weighs in at 70 kg. Both parents were quiet, non aggressive towards me and kind of laid back. I think that her litter mates had bullied her somewhat as they told me she has only just started coming out of her shell and they had taken her out the other day to their kids scout lessons and that she had been rather scared and shaking. They gave me a package with a lot of ridgeback info, her imunization record, worming medicing, puppy milk and enough puppy food to last 16 days. Also some of her toys and her blanket and we came home. They were nice enough people.

Xena took the car trip well, I used a harness with a seat belt extension and put her in the back seat as someone told me big dogs shouldn't go in the front due to airbags.

She was tired and laid to sleep under my legs. She played tug of war and chased the kids around. She did nip and tried to jump up but we pushed her down and said no. She seems to understand. She will sit if you push on her hind... but not for long. She is almost trained to do her poops outside. Still uses the paper if in the house. She's doing much more than I thought she would for a 8 1/2 week old puppy.

First reactions from friends and family seemed to be a consensus of, "Wow that's a big puppy!"

We seemed to be getting on well, she is playing fine with the kids and even ignored the cat (who is throwing a hissy fit every time she sees her).

Until, she was sleeping under my legs and I got up to move her and she growled at me. I said no and moved her but was upset because I didn't expect my puppy to growl at me. After a while I decided she was probably tired and its a strange new environment and not to worry about it.

Put her to sleep in a plastic kennel in the laundry. She cried for about 20 minutes the first night then was quiet... that was pretty good.

Next day.. she starting growling at the kids when they tried to move her while she was sleeping. I was starting to worry. After a nasty growling incident I took her to her kennel and left her there for 20 minutes. She was better when she came out.

She seems to be doing ok other than the growling. We have taught her to eat from our hands and to let us pat her while she's eating.

The second night she cried, moaned, howled and whimpered on and off all night. I had to be up at 6am and think I had 4 hours sleep... much like having sleepless nights with a baby.

She woke me up at 6am (second day in a row) with a different kind of whimper... took her outside and she went to poop. Outside I drank my coffee and gave her breakfast. She seemed quite scared of the noises of the birds in the trees. The neighbours dog barked and she shot back into the house. A few seconds later popping her head out to look at me. I looked back at her and she came out again. More noisy birds and she dived under some greenery. We played a bit and went back inside. I got ready for work, kids woke up and played with her some more. Then she crashed again.

I worked for the morning and came home and we had our first puppy classes. I'll tell you about it in next post.

Photos from breeders advert.