Vote for Princess!

This is for my former foster dog. All you need to do is to vote with #93 in the subject line to pbrccontest@gmail.com

Only one vote per email address, so please spread the word.

4th Annual 'I Pittie, The Fool' Photo Contest

April Fool's Day - A Day for Tomfoolery
Who defines being a fool better than a pit bull? To celebrate our dogs, we’ve created this showcase of jokers and jesters submitted by our supporters. Now you get to help decide which one will be crowned this year’s #1 Pittie Fool!

http://www.pbrc.net/misc/foolcontest/contest09.html

I promise my next blog update will be the story of Princess.

Mommy martyrs

Definition: a mommy who thinks being a mother is so hard that taking care of their pets is a source of insurmountable suffering thus they look for ways to justify their need to dispose of, get rid of, or re home their pet.

You know one I bet, I come across them all the time. Somehow these women think shooting a baby out their coochie is life's most important accomplishment. They think they practically invented motherhood and no one can possibly relate to their struggles. Well people I am not in that camp. I'm in the total opposite camp, the one that thinks my most important life accomplishment will be maintaining my own identity outside of being a mother; one that continues to honor herself daily by continuing to be all of the things that make me who I am. Because if I cannot do that, then what the hell do I have to offer my kid outside of the basic necessities? I ask why did you bother becoming a mother if you find honoring and upholding something so basic as providding food, water, medical care, and love to a dog or cat as being impossible?

Mommy martyrs you are screwed, I am onto you and I'm not the only one...

Dog pee will not kill you or the baby.

That is not to say that marking or pissing all over your house is acceptable, but it's not the end of the world. Let's take today to talk about why some perfectly housebroken dogs suddenly start peeing in the house.

1. Urinary tract infection. Yes, just as we humans are prone to them so are dogs. Any time a dog suddenly starts peeing in the house, a trip to the vet is warranted. UTI's and other issues such as kidney stones and kidney infection can be fatal if left unchecked and untreated.

2. Your dog is feeling insecure and anxious. Think about possible big changes in the house that could be causing the stress. Is it the new baby? Is it the unveiling of all the new baby gear? Did you alter the dog's schedule too much too soon? Did you move your dog's safe place (crate, ex pen, bed) etc... thus causing anxiety?

3. You never got around to neutering your male dog and now he is marking his territory.

4. Your neutered dog feels competitive with another dog in the house and they are in a pissing match for dominant ranking.

5. Your unspayed female is letting all the boys in the hood know she is available for mating. What a hoochie!

6. Your dog doesn't like the new smells on something unfamiliar so it marks it- this could be a pair of shoes you wore to volunteer at the animal shelter, a shopping bag, or new furniture.

Now lets talk about some of the possible solutions. None of these will be a magic bullet, but used in combination you can hopefully find the one that fits your situation.

1. Spay and Neuter your pets- it is never too late. In males testosterone plays a large role in marking. It most likely will not cure the marking habit, but it will make breaking the habit easier for you. If you are a parent as well, you should know that intact males are much more likely to bite than their neutered counterparts. It's also no wonder that 42.8% of dogs relinquished to shelters are not fixed and 96% had no prior obedience training. http://www.petrescue.com/library/relinquish-pets.htm

2. To properly break the habit, a dog must be caught and corrected in the act i.e. mid stream. Yelling, hitting, and rubbing your dog's nose in it is not going to work. To do this, you must keep all eyes on fido at all times. I know you don't have eyes in the back of your head so I suggest crate training or using the umbilical method. To do this, your dog is on leash and attached to your waist at all times for constant supervision. This method of training is really effective for correcting many undesired behaviors, so keep it in mind for any other challenges you are facing.

3. Use the most effective house breaking method- praise. Become a cheerleader when your dog pees outside and in the appropriate place. Treat them like mad for "insert your pee catchphrase here" with a high value treat such as freeze dried liver. My catchphrase is "go pee, go poop" and by training and rewarding them using this phrase, mine will do their business on command. Very useful when juggling the demands of a baby, dogs, and work. It's also easy so Becks can give it to them as well.

4. Don't kid yourself into thinking that a dog marking while having the run of the house while you are gone is going to stop. For some dogs, confinement is the only answer. Mack resides in a 4'x4' ex pen daily while we are at work. While he doesn't pee, he does ingest inedible things that could kill him when not supervised (see my previous post). Trust me, it's safe and is not cruel. If it keeps your dog alive and your house in one piece then it's a win win situation. Look into crate training, it is literally a life saver.

5. Thoroughly clean any areas with an enzymatic cleanser. I blot the area first, flood it with enzymatic cleanser, re blot, then re flood the area and let the enzymatic cleaner air dry. If for some reason I can still smell pee, I repeat the process but use my steam cleaner loaded only with enzymatic cleanser to soak and then suck up the mess. Using products like carpet shampoo will only mask the smell since your dog has a nose 100x more sensitive than yours, not to mention they leave a sticky residue that will trap dirt and create a whole new stain. To seek out old and hidden stains use a blacklight. You can find black light bulbs at most home improvement warehouses or online places that carry hand held devices like this: http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/product_10001_10001_41570_-1_Urine-Finder+Black+Light__13902_

6. When all else fails, there are prescription medications than can ease anxiety in dogs. These are also not a magic bullet, but could help smooth things over enough to make training easier on you all. Examples of medications are Amtriptyline, Buspar, Prozac etc... Be your pet's advocate and ask your vet about them. Many vets are not up to speed on their uses as they fall into the realm of behavior and most vets are busy staying on top of more health related subjects such as heartworm treatment. If your vet doesn't consider them an option, find a new vet, perhaps one that specializes in behavior and or one that has a holistic practice. Information on these medications and more can be found here: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/pharmacy_center.html

Lastly, for anyone who freaks at the thought of their baby maybe crawling over some random wet pee spot in the carpet, urine from a healthy animal is sterile. It is only as the urine sits that it turns into alkaline salts feeding bacteria and thus giving off an odor. If you think that's nasty, just wait until your kid comes down with Rotovirus...

From BadRap- a great blog about kids & pitties

http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/unintended-consequences.html#links

Seriously, I cannot applaud loud enough. Amen Bambi.

I'm human, my dogs are beasts, and we all need some work.

In the spirit of total honesty, enjoy! This was my evening.

So, my beasts have not been walked lately. Bad weather for the little man, dark too early, etc... so tonight I took them for a spin individually with DS. Big boy sent across the street neighbors running into their house despite the fact he did't bark and was obviously baby safe. Whatever. Later we came across a neighbor lady all while DC didn't want to ride his bike like he said he did, so I was stuggling to contain big boy while holding the ride on my hip while trying to keep DC from exploring traffic. Big boy in his enthusiasm bucking like a mad fool then knocks DC down and out of his shoe. Tears ensue. Great.

Get back to the house, damn DH set the sprinklers for this random evening time and we get soaked trying to get back into the house. More crying.

Go to get big girl and realize when I had DH alter the pinch collar, he did it wrong and the ends won't connect. Can't find the part to fix it. Put her in a choke chain but think to myself, this not good, she freaking weighs more than I do.

Take big girl out, she flips out at bike passing by. Ugh. We are calm and carrying on until we come across freaky neighbor and his little girl- the ones that like to spy on us and freak out big girl. They start walking towards us and big girl then goes apeshit. I proceed to tell him that she won't let him get near us because she hates strange men. DC is refusing to walk this entire time, so I am also wrangling her while walking with him on my hip.

Get home, finally, and the damn sprinklers are still on. Me thinks I'll be paying someone to get them reacquanited with leash manners/strangers because I physically cannot. Ugh. I hate being a quasi single parent on nights like this the most. Goes to show you why training never tops!

End of vent. Phew. Thank god for dog walkers and trainers for professional help!

Does your dog know you are pregnant?

With pregnancy comes many changes- new smells from the hormones coursing through your veins, ever changing moods, changes in appearance, extreme exhaustion, constant puking and nausea. Don't think for a second your dog doesn't know big changes are in the air, he/she might even know before you ever pee on a stick. Some dogs adapt well to these changes, though some more sensitive dogs might show some anxiety.

Bell, my strong alpha dog sensed I was weaker and took it upon herself to become more protective of house and home. To keep her in check, we had to keep clear boundaries and use commands and obedience as a gentle reminders I was still in charge and a capable leader. One key technique is called Nothing In Life Is Free aka NILIF. Essentially asking her to perform her commands as a way to earn rewards such as food and affection helped keep her from staging a coup against me. It also helped us identify the commands she needed the most brushing up on which is another critical element in preparing dogs for baby. Examples of commands to practice: sit, down, stay, leave it, wait, and gentle.

Mack is my sensitive jock. While I spent the better part of oh, say, 34 weeks of non stop nausea and puking so did he on occasion. If I closed the bathroom door, he would whine and cry right along with me. More than once I swear he puked out of pity. I eventually learned that if I left the door open, he would lay down outside the door to watch over me and once done, he would escort me back to the sofa. He was the perfect nurse maid who always stuck close to me and not once did he get mad at me for having hardly any energy for a walk or a game of ball.

I think I got off pretty easy in this department. I hope you do too, but here are some other examples of how your dogs could react to your pregnancy:
1. Marking/peeing in the house. If this occurs, get thee to a vet to rule out kidney stones or a urinary tract infection first. Then, if your male dog isn't neutered, correct that immediately. Not only will it help cur marking, but statistically intact male dogs are more likely to bite. Stock up on an enzymatic cleaner and be sure to revert to crate training if the housebreaking continues to regress.

2. Becoming more aloof to you. You look like my mom, but you sure as heck don't smell like her. Give the dog the time and space to adjust, he/she will accept your new scent.

3. Becoming more velcro like. You are my mom, and I love your new smell, so I must follow you everywhere you go and protect you. Be sure to keep the house rules clear and maintain your place as the leader as this will help your dog relax.

Good luck and enjoy the ride with your furry babies.

Anyone out there?

Hi readers. As you know, I'm new to this blog thing. So far I have really enjoyed the outlet for talking about the loves of my life- my mini human and my beasts. While I could ramble on endlessly on the topic, I'd like to know if there are any topics you all would like to see addressed? Please feel free to chime in and leave your suggestions in the commments section. I look foward to reading them.

- PittieBoo