Canesisters 2023 journal - turning my Disasters into Delights

[canesisters]

... maybe make a Debbie scarecrow.. leave it laying in the recliner ... maybe even figure out a way to make it snore...

think she'll fall for that???

 

[Mini Horses]

If you put a Tshirt on it that smells like you?

 

[canesisters]

Wow. She seems to be fine inside, so long as you're there -- is that right? You aren't sure about her leaving the yard? You there or not....right? We know she's ultra determined at "break outs". IF ONLY she could talk!!!

Can you clone yourself? Maybe a video of you talking to her to play on the TV? A nanny cam, so you can verbally correct? pen her longer while your home this weekend.

This adoption is becoming an expensive, troublesome thing. Hey -- cattle are staying in the fence! This dog isn't. It's as bad as my goats!!! I was out running hot wire at dark last night!

Yep, she seems to be fine wherever she is as long as there is a person. Just this AM I had to rush out the door to document something for a driver. Was gone 10mins?? Came back in and peeked through the door - she was still on her bed.

Dad's finishes his food bank service this week. IF this weekend goes ok - nothing broken or bleeding - I'll fill up the kiddie pool in her pen and leave her Mon-Wed. Maybe ask Dad to babysit Thurs & Fri because it'll be in the 90's and I have to work late those days. ... and try out letting her loose in the house alone? My big cat has made friends, so maybe that'll help.

 

[Ridgetop]

A nanny cam where you can talk to her and correct or distract any bd behavior would be good. At least you would be able to see when she get anxious at being left alone. she could also just be bored at being alone. Either way having a nanny cam that allows you to see what she is doing would be a big relief to your worrying.

As far as leaving her in the kennel, once she realizes that is her place to stay and that you will be returning she should adjust. Remember that once you are out of sight, to a dog you have just disappeared for good. Until they are trained to know that you will return to get them, they will be anxious. Your other dogs have been good in crates and alone in the home because you trained them that way as pups. This is an adult dog with behaviors that you had no control over before.

I would put her in the kennel not only for short periods, but also longer stays when you are either working outside, or are just chilling in the house on your own. That way she knows she must stay where you put her both when she can see you and when she can't. She will learn that you will come back for her.

I would start her on a rigorous obedience program. Heel, sit, down, short stay, long stay, recall and return to heel position. On and eventually off leash. Even if you are happy with her behavior on leash now and are able to give her occasional commands that she obeys, a rigorous obedience program lasting up to 30 minutes daily will help her with understanding that she is to follow your commands. When you put her in the kennel, use a special command when doing so. Do not use "Stay" which means remain in one position, instead use "Kennel" or another word which will mean "Go in the kennel until I come to get you". By training her in an obedience program like this, not only will she bond to you, but you will establish a fun way to enforce your leadership position. And, yes, I said FUN since all dogs enjoy obedience training.

 

[canesisters]

A nanny cam where you can talk to her and correct or distract any bd behavior would be good. At least you would be able to see when she get anxious at being left alone. she could also just be bored at being alone. Either way having a nanny cam that allows you to see what she is doing would be a big relief to your worrying.

As far as leaving her in the kennel, once she realizes that is her place to stay and that you will be returning she should adjust. Remember that once you are out of sight, to a dog you have just disappeared for good. Until they are trained to know that you will return to get them, they will be anxious. Your other dogs have been good in crates and alone in the home because you trained them that way as pups. This is an adult dog with behaviors that you had no control over before.

I would put her in the kennel not only for short periods, but also longer stays when you are either working outside, or are just chilling in the house on your own. That way she knows she must stay where you put her both when she can see you and when she can't. She will learn that you will come back for her.

I would start her on a rigorous obedience program. Heel, sit, down, short stay, long stay, recall and return to heel position. On and eventually off leash. Even if you are happy with her behavior on leash now and are able to give her occasional commands that she obeys, a rigorous obedience program lasting up to 30 minutes daily will help her with understanding that she is to follow your commands. When you put her in the kennel, use a special command when doing so. Do not use "Stay" which means remain in one position, instead use "Kennel" or another word which will mean "Go in the kennel until I come to get you". By training her in an obedience program like this, not only will she bond to you, but you will establish a fun way to enforce your leadership position. And, yes, I said FUN since all dogs enjoy obedience training.

I'll start some training tonight. Thanks.
I wish I could do something interactive like a nanny cam, but my only internet is on my phone, so it leaves when I do. I use the game cameras, but can only review once I get home and pull the card.

 

[SageHill]

Time to 'crash course' Birdie in the outside pen. I've got the weekend to 'Do something about that dog. It can't come every day.' (boss)
I don't know if 'somebody' complained or if he's just being a jerk. So the adventure continues.. Out in the pen several times this weekend - short stays, long stays.... Mon - Wed it's supposed to be in the 80's here - so I'll try all day stays.

Transisitioning to the house? What do yall think? First few tries - game camera watching the sliding glass door and leave her in while I'm in the yard? Maybe keep her out for a while until she goes to the porch - THEN put her in and leave her a while longer?

This is all so foreign to me. Every dog I've had before has either been fine lose in the house once they've met the cats or has been ok in the crate.

You've got lots of great advice here - all that I agree with. The key is finding which one will work for Birdie.
I like the kennel idea - you've done great putting it all together.
There's been a niggling thing at the back of my mind - if she were to have the house, and not just a room, she may be ok. Esp now that she has a buddy. Just close the door to rooms you don't want her in. And pick up things you don't want her to have - i.e. garbage pail (can go in room you don't want her in). If she's confined to a single room she gets it in her mind to get out. I'm guessing in the frenzy to get out, once she's out of the room the frenzy is still there so she keeps going. @Ridgetop suggested obedience training - oh yeah totally agree on that. Sit, come, down, heel and "place" - @Ridgetop called it "kennel". Here we have dog beds that are "place" they have to go to it and settle in (some call it "settle").
Do just a couple of the commands to start until she gets the idea. Then you can add more. AND -- throw a trick into the mix even to start - wave, shake, beg, play dead, etc. Tricks tend to lighten up the mood and makes the whole session more fun for both of you. Keep sessions short - 10 mins a few times a day. 30 min max if things are going great. If things aren't going great stop while your ahead.
I just started working Obi and Zo together on a new thing just because. The new thing is they walk to the barn with me, one dog on either side of me. No lagging behind, no forging ahead. They are used to charging ahead, racing and playing all the way to the barn and back to the house on the return. After 3 days they are actually getting it - off lead.
So with the training stuff, that shows the dog you're the leader of the pack so to speak. In a pack the leader can go out to get food, scout around, and of course return to the pack. Setting that up doing obedience and tricks ~should help. Rewards are small pieces of treats (usually soft type treats so they don't get caught on the way down in a too fast swallow), toy rewards, and praise.
AND -- you are doing the absolute right thing having her do little stints in the kennel - can do that with the house as well - which you are already doing.

 

[canesisters]

Left her for an hour. She was really hot & had tired herself out.
Went in & out of the house a couple of trips & put stuff away. She was quiet & panting hard. Asked her to sit while I opened up the gate. She waited until I told her she could come out.
Then the little bugger WENT BACK IN when I turned my back to get the chew she had refused to chew.
I filled up the kiddie pool & had to fight her to put her feet in. She literally PANICKED!!! Peed all over the place & bolted. What could possibly make a dog THAT afraid of a kiddy pool!?!?
Got her to step in, stand, step out, do it again. Then she was in & out on her own. Even sat down for a minute.

Progress

 

[Baymule]

Birdie doesn’t know about the finer things in life. Kiddie pools were not an item she played in. How deprived! And she SAT DOWN in it! Come on over to the dark side Birdie!

 

[SageHill]

Left her for an hour. She was really hot & had tired herself out.
Went in & out of the house a couple of trips & put stuff away. She was quiet & panting hard. Asked her to sit while I opened up the gate. She waited until I told her she could come out.
Then the little bugger WENT BACK IN when I turned my back to get the chew she had refused to chew.
I filled up the kiddie pool & had to fight her to put her feet in. She literally PANICKED!!! Peed all over the place & bolted. What could possibly make a dog THAT afraid of a kiddy pool!?!?
Got her to step in, stand, step out, do it again. Then she was in & out on her own. Even sat down for a minute.

Progress

None of my dogs go into pools or stock tubs inspite of all the dogs they’ve seen at different places working. But then I look at their double coats and think getting it all wet translates to a steam bath when they get wet.

 

[Ridgetop]

Some dogs don't like water or getting wet. The jokes about bathing a dog are based on facts.

Our old Weimaraner - a field trained hunting dog - would happily retrieve from a lake BUT ask to go out in the rain? He looked at the rain pouring down (yes sometimes in southern California it pours) and would go to the other door to ask to go out on the dry side of the house. Pouring there too, looked at me like it was my fault! I ordered him out. Ran to his potty place, did his business, and ran back to the door. I better be waiting to let him in from the "acid" rain! LOL Then acted all hurt because I made him do his business in the wet weather! Dogs, gotta love 'em.

We had a Pyr that would go out in the summer and climb into the giant horse water tub and sit there like it was a hot tub! Waiting to see what the Anatolians make of the ponds.

My daughter's Lab (from duck hunting lines) doesn't join the kids in their pool. Go figure!

My cousin had a mini Dachshund that loved the pol. He would dive to the bottom of the deep end to bite the pool sweep.

Back to Birdie. She is a Boxer and probably doesn't like water that much. With their short muzzles and pushed in noses it may be harder for them to swim without water getting in their noses. That will make her hate water and swimming. She probably never had a recreational swim. Maybe seldom a bath. She doesn't understand that getting in a pool of water will cool her down. Of course, once she is out she will steam the water off.

You might have made a mistake putting her in the pool INSIDE the kennel. If she fears or hates water she may now associate that bad water experience with the kennel. Getting in the pool yourself and coaxing her to join you might have been a better move. I would remove the pool from the kennel and place it in the yard. Then you can wade in it and coax her to join you. However, remember that when the weather changes you won't want a wet Birdie on the bed or sofa. Maybe instead of a pool in the kennel, you could put an outsize water tub instead. The larger water tub would keep her drinking water cooler. You could even freeze water in large cottage cheese or 5-quart plastic ice cream tubs and add that ice to her water in the morning. I would suggest frozen plastic milk jugs placed in the water but she might chew up the plastic.

Also, if you can run an extension cord to the pen, you could hang a cheap box fan to the outside of the panel (in the shade area) and run it during the day. I had to do that for some newborn lambs that were suffering in the barn heat one year. Moving air, even warm air will help cool her down.