Dixie's Doodles Alumni

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Comment by Dixie Moore on May 22, 2010 at 12:04pm

Hi Charmaine! Welcome!

Kathryn, if Casey has not been destructive so far, I think he is past the worst part. Of course, you still have to be diligent and never let your guard down, but I venture to say that the worst of the puppy days are behind you.

Comment by Christine & Shelby on May 22, 2010 at 11:56am

Welcome Charmaine & Sammy! So glad you joined us!!!

Comment by Kathryn J Kotrla on May 22, 2010 at 11:32am

We are so lucky with Casey, so far! He has only chewed his own toys, and the Chew he (and our other dogs) gets daily. Even with his toys, he has no inclination to chew them up. When they get a tear, Casey (and our Corgi, Lefty) very delicately, over days, pulls the stuffing out, and then still plays with the shell of the toy. Of course, another amazing thing is that he has object permanance and keeps careful track of his toys! Maybe it's because my husband is home with Casey, but Casey has gotten into no mischief. He got up on our coffee table once, knocked sonething over, and was so upset by the result that he just doesn't try it any more. Will he get into more mischief as he ages? With him approaching 1, I thought we might be getting out of the puppy-chewing-phase forest??

Comment by Dixie Moore on May 22, 2010 at 11:04am

Hi Kathy! Welcome to you and Barlee!

Allergies are very common and so hard to pin down. What are you feeding him now? I've heard a lot lately about dogs that are allergic to chicken, that it causes them to itch and scratch uncontrollably. I would definitely look at diet first. I think the experts usually suggest going to a single protein source, something that he's probably never had before. I can't remember if my litters at that time were on Orijen? It has several protein sources, including chicken. I think most people go to a fish formula if they suspect food allergies. Fish, venison, duck, any of these in a grain-free kibble can be used in elimination diets.

Comment by Kathy Crosby on May 22, 2010 at 10:17am

Hi all,
I just found the site and am enjoying reading all the posts!
I have Barlee, he is from the Dec 24, 2009 litter and is the BEST dog I could have. Gentle, doesn't bark, we walk every day and he just stays with, even ignoring the deer.
I do have a comment on the picture of Shelby with her boo boo. It is something I am fighting with Barlee. Apparently he gets "hot spots" where he just keeps scratching, the first time he scratched himself completely raw before i realized what he was doing. The vet thinks it is allergies. So I'm giving him an allergy pill twice a day and that seems to be keeping him from hurting himself. But I hate medicating him! So if anyone has any info, let me know.
Glad to be part of the group.

Comment by Christine & Shelby on May 22, 2010 at 10:15am

I've been fortunate... Shelby isn't destructive at all, she has lots of toys and hasn't destroyed any of them. I do have the bitter apple spay and used it on a few things early on (couch, baseboard, kitchen cabinet) when I saw her mouthing/chewing them. She responded and stayed away. But her little TP incident (along with few hair claws) have shown me that her counter surfing days are here. She is pretty good with the "off" command, but obviously that only works when I see the behavior and can correct it.

Comment by Christine & Shelby on May 22, 2010 at 10:13am

Welcome Kathy and Barlee! Glad you found us!!!

Comment by Dixie Moore on May 22, 2010 at 9:46am

I often recommend Bitter Apple spray to help keep them away from things they can destroy. It wouldn't work for everything obviously, like the mask and like TP, but I use enough of it that I looked for and found a recipe for something that is not the same but works well:

Bitter Apple Spray:
3 oz rubbing alcohol
4 oz water
2 oz lemon juice

Pretty much one taste and they don't chew, so I don't think it's harmful for them. Also, the puppy raiser of my first dog that went to Guide Dogs of Texas used mousetraps (NOT SET!). I'm not sure how she made Mason afraid of them though. Maybe she set some and sprang them in front of him, then placed them around not set.

Comment by Dixie Moore on May 22, 2010 at 9:41am

Too funny Christine. Better for it to be TP than a sleep apnea mask. :(
A couple of years ago I was at a conference listening to Beth Line. She is the creator of the doodle rescue group called IDOG, truly a wonderful person and dynamic speaker. Anyway, she said that sometimes she goes out and buys a bunch of used stuffed toys, removes buttons and dangerous parts, then gives them to her dogs just to tear up. She said they look at her with so much gratitude, like "Yes, Mom, you GET it!" I thought that was so funny, because if you think about it, that's something they love to do and that we more or less successfully train out of them over time. Maybe it's never totally gone, and that's why Sully did it. The apnea mask was just too tempting, and maybe he knew he shouldn't but couldn't help himself. I know that doesn't make Merrill, or especially Roy, feel better though.

Comment by Christine & Shelby on May 22, 2010 at 9:28am

Funny incident yesterday.... which has shown me that Shelby is getting taller and her counter reach is improving. It was evident several weeks ago that TP couldn't be on it's dispenser, but had to be on the bathroom counter out of reach.... well, that worked - until yesterday. TP is now way far back on the guest bathroom counter! She had a great time and it made me smile.... I just had to laugh. Note how far the TP goes back, around the corner and in to the bathroom!

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