Socks do get STUCK!!! 6 week UPDATE

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

 

Well, we are 6 weeks out from our viligent observation and training of Bella's sock fetish and I have to report she has been passing with flying colors!!! We have set her up repeatedly to try to catch her and time after time, she just looks at the sock, sometimes sniffs very quickly, and walks away. She doesnt usually know we are watching, and I have taken to leaving the clean clothes in the laundry basket again when we aren't home and DH and I have all matching pairs of socks with every load.

 

We are thrilled and we have progressed now into training to include not eating tissue out of the waste baskets in the guest bathrooms.  I am doing the same training, rewarding her when she stops a few feet from the basket so that she doesn;t even get close enough to inhale one before I get to her.

So, she's doing well in the sock department, however, has taken to counter surfing. Geez, I guess training is never really done!!!

I think everyone pretty much knows my Bella has a fetish for all things NON-food, but socks, little pairs of grandson's socks in particular, are by far her favorite snack.

The pair usually pass pretty easily, quickly and without much fanfare.

 Except today. No, nothing needing going to the Vet for. Just some minor assistance from me. Ofcourse, where is DH when you need him?

Bella was outside for quite awhile this morning. She is allowed out by herself when I have secured the area of lingering poops, as I just had earlier. After 20 minutes or so, I decided she'd been out enough and went to call her and found her dragging her little but on the brick pavers. Something she never has done before.

FIrst thought....anal glands, darn! Nah, she poops like a horse, can't be!!! Well, upon closer examination, I see a pretty good sized poopy bundle hanging from her bottom, with the visable signs of sock in the package. She shook, rolled, swung her hips, layed down to try to pull it out herself, but it was STUCK!!! Oh dear. Dr Mom to the rescue. However there are no nurses hand gloves in close proximity! What's a mom to do? Gotta get this out for her before she starts rolling all over in it! Not to mention, the poor look on her face was just screaming "Help me Mommy!"

I grab a towel, reach down and pull! And pull, and pull and about 18 inches later, out comes the whole deal!

Now I ask you, is this something that can be classified as going Above and Beyond the call of Doodle mommy Duty? 

Sorry, no pictures, and aren't you glad???

So we are a week into training Bella to "Leave" socks alone and I think yesterday she validated just how smart she is. During the day of doing laundry, there were no less than 3 times that a sock had fallen on the floor unattended by us.

One in the laundry room, that I know I had not been in since I emptied the dryer several hours beforehand and she had been in and out of several times. When I saw the sock still there, I casually called her to me, ignored the sock to see what she would do. She did walk over to it and stayed about a foot away, stopped, looked up and then walked away!!! I didn't say a word to stop her but praised her up and down. 

 She did this in the bedroom also with DH's socks later in the day when she acknowledged them on the floor, but stayed about a foot away and turned and left the room. That would NEVER have happened a week ago and I have to say, we really only practiced this maybe for 3 days. I still don't trust her 100% nor will I knowingly leave socks down yet, but this is a big improvement and I guess a habit that can be trained out of them. Thought you'd all like to know!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Great news Sue! Doodles are so darn smart!! It won't be long and the socks will be a non issue!!! Keep up the good work!!

[BG and Gavin]

Great work Sue!!

[Christine & Shelby]

Wow.... you are a dedicated Doodle mom.... :o)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Nah, just don't want to do any more fecal extractions if I can help it!  :)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

LOL! Sue you crack me up!!!

[Janice Hammond]

Oh Boy !! That is scary. I am worried that it will become twisted in her bowel and there will be major surgery involved.I think the suggestion of a collar is a good one.

 

Surgery of this kind is tough.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I bet it is tough. And certainly not an experience I would like her to have. Bella however does defy nature with what she eats and how easily it comes back out. I have resolved myself to the fact that it's probably a matter of when and not if she gets something stuck. There really is no way to Bella-proof everyones houses and yards from all the things she might get into. Plus with babies and children around, not everything is in my control. I hope I'm never posting about her needing surgery, but it is something I won't be surprised of happening at least once in her lifetime. Unless she just grows out of it I guess.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

i'm glad you are seeing some improvement. :)

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

This is an interesting discussion to me since Bexter (6 months old) has the same issue.  Lately he seems to be getting better (well...either that or we are getting better at keeping socks out of reach - not sure which).  I have always thought about training specifically to leave socks like you are now doing.  Sounds like it could work possibly.  Thanks for giving hope!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I don't know if Bella will grow out of it either as she started from the time she came to us and it only seemed better, when like you said, we got better at keeping socks out of reach. I really am sure she is not safe around socks when left alone or for any length of time, but today was a HUGE improvement over what she has always done in the presence of socks. And they have never been so tempting as they were today. So give the training a try and hopefully we can save our doodle babies some agony. And ourselves.

[Sue, Lola, Pongo & Hubby]

OMD!!!! You are doodle mum of the year!!!! Silly Bella, when will you learn?!?!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Oh thankyou, but she really is pretty smart and makes me look good.  But she really doesn't know what she;s up against when I set my pack leader mind on something. You'd think Murphy would've let her in on that little secret by now.