Thank you, Just Me!  I love all the suggestions that you give me.  I phoned our Trainer, ANa, this morning about the barking.  She said that I need to "time-out" Heart literally.  At the first bark, I should say, "Enough!"  She only gets one bark.  Second bark:  "Too bad" & I put her into the bathroom without the light for 30 seconds.  We may have to repeat this, but I can only leave her in there for a maximum of 2 minutes.  My smart learner learned to bark at other barking dogs inteh course of 2 days, so this punishment -- & I hope that  you think that it is mild punishment, I'm not so sure! shold work in the same 2 days.  I continue to be astounded at how bright she is.  Her 1st step in getting anything froooom me when I am not sleeping is to stand on all 4's & gaze directly at me with those big black eyes.  Then she differentiates by my holding up her food bowl & her not coming or coming or by her going near the door.  For wanting to go out, she walks back & forth to the door.  If she REALLY wants to go out urgently, she starts jumping up when I'm getting myself ready to go out.  She really knnnows how to turn on the charm!  (If I am sleeping, she licks my face until I wake up fully.)  Love inHIim, Deb & Heart

Thank you for understanding my suggestions.  And, everything you've written has been appropriate. 

As for the bathroom, insure there is no bathroom area rug.  You see, we tried the bathroom route too and our pooch pushed the area rug up to the door, so we couldn't open the door to get her out! 

I read at another place, some gal had brass bells hanging from a shelving unit.  Because her poodle would stand in front the TV when he wanted to go out and obstruct the view, she taught him to "ring the bells" when he wanted out!  She even put a photo up on the site, showing her dog "ring his bells", so cute! 

Remember, poodles are "inside and outside" trained.  One of the few breeds that can use "papers" and still utilize going outside for businesses.  Since Heart is only 3, she may still be able to remember her "paper" training??  This will come in handy in bad weather, when you don't want to (or can't) go out yourself and in her later years, should she have bladder problems.  Just another thought.

 

Wow!  Just Me, right this very minute I'm hanging up the bathroom area rug for use only when I'm showwering!     THANKS for the warning!

She responded to Enough!  with my index finger raised & getting closer & closer to her.  She is SO bright.

Love in Him, Deb

 WE have bells on the kitchen doorknob. The cat rings the bell to go out. Babs

Dear All, My beloved Heart apparently has an urinary infection.  She can't pee -- just 2-3 T this AM.  I noticed her scooting around on her backside -- pitiful -- late yesteerday & had noticed scant pee yesterday, but didn't put 2 & 2 together till the AM.  SPCA Vet doesn't have overnight service, so I'llll take her in at 8:30 & hope that they are open or will open at 9.  (Wish their phone message incuded hours of service!)

OR, she could haave some chicken bone stuck somewhere -- I ate a few bites of the chicken from Chicken Soupers, & pulled off the rest for her (for crate traiining; I used half yesterday & plan on using the rest today).  I put the bone into teh garbage.  Later, because I didn't want to unduly excite her by putting on the leash just to go to the garbage drop in the hallway, I put the full bag in the bathroom & closed the door firmly.  Well, Poodles can reach doorknobs, I have now learned ....  I caught her nibbling on the bone, which ws still in teh bag but she had the end of it out....

Earlier in the day, she destroyed her 1st stuffed animal.  It served me right!  -- I had been giving her toys only under supervision, but my friend Janet (with whom & whose dog Freddie we went to a dog park on Sun & had a great tiime) said that was ridiculous, that the whole ppoint of toys is to   give doggies something to do when we can't waatch them.  When I came into teh room, she had  a piece of sstuffign (long fibers, not styrofoam) on the floor.  She had the animal, stuffing falling out , iiin her mouth.  It was quite a choore to get it out of her mouth.  It could be that stuffing that got caught in her urinary tract, instead of the chicken bone portion....

We had a severe raiinstorm yesterday.  She was sleepign soundly but at a certain point it awoke her & she ssstarted barking a couple of times & growling ferociously.  I tried to do what the Trainer said & t ime out her, but she wouldn't stop growling while in the bathroom & after a minute, I felt so sorry for her that I let her out.  I left a message for the Trainer that I'm going to poick her up & caress her the next tiime that she barks, as it si clear to me by now that it is a fear response, not guard-dogging.  The Trainer is very busy this week with a COnference of trainers,,, but said that she will call today.

I'm doing well with having Heart "down" spontaneoously with clicker reinforcement & then treats (spontaneously means that I don't have to cue her).  She will also "touch" my open hand, in the same way.  (Touching is a sub-section of heeling.)

When Heart awakens this AM & is ready t o   eaat, I'm bound & determiend to feed her plain kibble.  Ana,the Trainer, says that by soaking it in chicken broth, I am obliterating its teeth-cleaning property.  Not to mention that I should only be treatign her during training.

It remains uncanny to me how she LOVES wearing her service vest.  It is so unweildly on her (the sides of the backpack reach only about 4" above the ground) that I'd hate it if I were she.  I think that she has already figured out that she can go into Cala & soome otehr stores already while wearing it .... & likes teh  smells & the special attentiooon....  Poodles are SO smart!

Yours in Him, Deb 

 

Hopefully Heart won't have anything too serious and can be easily treated. In regards to the shredded toy its a catch 22. You either can give her something to mangle or she can pick something of yours to mangle. Its easier to lose a stuffed animal rather than your favorite shoe. Let us know how things turn out.

I'm so sorry Little Heart is not up to par!  When scooting takes place, it could mean that her anal glands need to be cleaned.  This is usually done on Vet visits, or when having her groomed.  Always ask if the groomer "expresses" (I think that's the term?) the anal glands. 

You might want to see if her Vet has a website ~ with all important information?  The Vets I've had, always have a number to call in case of emergency OR the location of an Emergency Vet's place, on their phone message. 

In all our decades of taking care of our poodles (one at a time), we've tried to insure 24/7 coverage.  While living in cities, there have been major Vet Hospitals OR colleges that have Vet Training and are available 24/7.  Right now?  We have two different Vet facilities.  The Original One that is only open 9-5/M-F and Our Supplemental One that is 7-7, 7 days a week.  There is also an Emergency Vet facility that is open 8 at night to 8 in the morning, 7 days a week.  Our first two Vets exchange all medical information and the Emergency one will forward that information to our Original Vet!  Yes, our poodles have gotten better medical care than we give to ourselves! 

For Heart to be able to open a door by a door knob is certainly amazing.  Hopefully, she didn't swallow any bones and now you know!  Have you not left Heart alone in your apartment?  Putting the trash out, would be a short duration, and she would learn to know that you always come back.  I've been told, that dogs have no conception of time.  Four hours could feel like 15 minutes to them.  I don't know this for sure. 

Please don't feel that she destroyed the stuffed animal out of frustration.  She was probably wondering what was inside the material, in hopes for a treat, though she didn't smell one!  And, please, never blame yourself for things that happen.  It's all learning experiences that will benefit you both in the future.  Don't you think? 

As you've gotten the stuffing out of her mouth, you've learned she's not going to bite!  You'll be giving her proper medicines quite easily in the future, 'cause you have no fear of a bite!  Just be extremely careful should Heart be asleep whenever you approach her.  You see, if you're close and wake her up ~ that's when she could bite for self-preservation, sort of like instinct?  Yet, too, you may be able to brush her teeth yourself.  They have canine tooth brushes and toothpaste and also a rubber thimble-like cover for your index finger to use instead of a brush.

For toys we found that soft rubber or laytex ones were the best.  The hard plastic ones could break in pieces and get caught in her throat.  I don't mean to scare you, just from our experiences. 

Additionally, you don't want Heart to gain excessive weight either.  Hill's Science Diet has dog LIGHT biscuits, that come in two sizes.  I think they help oral care too? 

I'm glad Heart loves her vest!  Probably for a multitude of reasons, as you wrote.........it gives her entry to places that she couldn't access previously!  Yet?  Maybe she knows that she's your entry into a freer lifestyle and she's taking her job quite seriously?

My love goes to both of you, 'cause now you're a real family!

 

 

Dear ALl, It turned out that Heart had over-filled anal glands that needed to be expressed, just that, nothing wrong with her urinary tract.  I'll have that taken care of every tiime that she is groomed.  She was also a bit dehydrated -- like Mommy, like Daughter -- being uncomfortable, she had eaten & drunk less than usual yesterday & this AM.  I'm so rellllieved!  Yours in Him, Deb

Daer Toni, I'll gladly replace Heart's stuffed animals; she has such delight from them.  She liikes to make them squeak, & she rolls all over them & wrestles them in her mouth sequentially.  It is so much fun to watch!  Love in Him, Deb

Dear Just Me, You were absolllutely right abuot hte anal glands, but I didn't see your post until after the fact.  We have 24-hour vet clinics here in town, & I was all set at 4:30 to take her to one, called a cab, but it didn't coooome after waiting 20 minutes, & I decided hat it was Kismet & that we might as welll wait for the SPCA Vet to open, which happneed at 8AM (we got there at 7:45)>  Wow!  was I happy to have Heart take a normal pee once we left the Vet's!

The crate training is all about leaving Heart alone.  When I left her loose in the apt one day to go to teh trash bin (truly a one-minute excursion), she cried so pitiously that my heart broke!  The crate feels like a den, or so say the experts, isn't as frightening as beign left alone in the big apt.

I certainly know that shse does not nip.  It was ridiculous of the vet to say that I needed a muzzle. 

Her freeze-dried beef liver treats are 10 calories each, but tehy are much too big for her & get broken into 4th's.  We have to use up a supply of inferior treats before we can start them,, though.  A pet store owner introduced us to teh beef liver ones.

The Traienr says that she is due for her 1st bath.  I'm also goign to introduce rubber-finger-toothbrush brushign w special canine toothpste.  I have to brush & coomb her hair before bathing her.

Your help is precious, dear Just Me!  Love in Him, Deb

Dear ALl, Heart has learned "GO!" which I use in place of "OK," as that comes up so often in my conversations, & I don't want to confuse her.  We use it at street corners, for example.  At street cornders,, we run across the streeeet (well,I jog slowly & she trots!) to reinforce the pppleasure for her.

I am teaching her "Street-side," as I want her to heel on the side where she rellieves herself, at all tiiimes.  There is also "NO street!" for keeping her out of the gutter.

She knows Sit, but is stubborn & won't always do it.  She kkknows how to pretty-sit (stand on hind legs with front paws down), but I haven't been able to figuer out what vrebal cue she learned it with.

She has learned Down & Touch with the cllicker & treats alone, no verbal cues.  Touch means to touch my open hand, preparatory to doiiing it on our walks to maintain a Heel.

She knwos Wait, which I use all teh time.  I think that I've finally gotten barks down to one only, as she stops when I approach her with "That's enough!"with myiindex finger raised towards her face.  I just had totime her out in the bathroom once since I last wrote about this.

While the vet said on Tuesday that her ears looook really good, she ws haaving quite a time of it yesterday, wildly scratching her ears on teh stairs (I live 1flight up from the street) goiiing down, stuck on one step & then when she wss finally done there, she scratched again on another step, both for more than 30 seconds, so I took her back upstairs & medicated her for the 2nd time that day.  I'm going to keep up the 2ce/day until I'm out of meds.

She is such a sweetie-pie.  She picked up a 4" diameter piece of pizza on the street when I wasn't looking AND ALLOWED MEE TO TAKE ALLL OF IT OUT OF HER MOUTH, which I could see becuse she had nothing left to swallow.

I saw on teh baby food jars (bland diet until Sat, the vet said because of her dehydration) that each is only 60 calories, & I waant to supplement that.  I bought some Tyson chicken tenders for that purpose, tehy are about 2" diameter, & she loved her 2 yesterday.  I am only offering kibble until I feel that she has gotten enough into her, as she is supposed to be decreasing the bland diet daily.  (I'm going to keep teh tenders as treats for crate training, as she loves them so much.)  I recognize that the tenders have seasoning in teh breading, but the breading is very thin ....  ANyhow, I notice that she is drinking more, which is a very good thing that I aattribute to the seasoning!

Yours in Him, Deb