Dogs and Car Sickness

Update from last post: Rosie has been improving each time I take her out for a new walk. She is now listening to my commands and is steadily walking rather than walking and stopping excessively. I think this is because she now pairs good behavior with receiving rewards.

One of the main reasons my parents decided on getting me a small dog rather than a big one is because they thought it might be easier for them to manage when traveling, which we do often. Little did they know this would later become a problem because the dog that I chose gets car sick.

The first time we took Rosie with us in the car, we were on our way to the veterinarian to get her a checkup. Let’s just say this visit was a traumatic experience for Rosie which left her very stressed. Before we left, she had eaten a large amount of food because we had just arrived home from both work and school leaving her hungry. Because she ate so much before leaving and she was so stressed, Rosie threw up half way to our house from the vet. We now know that “you may need to put some extra care into mealtime planning. Start early so [she] can eat at least an hour before you head out to the car. This also gives your pup plenty of time to eat and then enjoy a long walk and eliminate” (Swaim 283). Along with this we also realize that we need to set up Rosie’s future appointments much later in the day so that she has enough time to do this.

Although Rosie gets carsick now, the veterinarians have told us that she may outgrow it along with the fact that we need to take her in the car more in order for her to get used to it. Most of the routes we take to get to different locations have routes with lots of turns, potholes, and frequent stops, so we will now try to find alternative routes to get to places (Swaim 283).

Rosie preparing for a car ride

We are now experimenting with different locations where we can place Rosie while driving. This is so that we can see which area best suits Rosie and her car sickness. “Some puppies ride better if they can see out of their crate, while others do best in a quiet, dark corner of the car” (Swaim 283). Along with this, we are also testing different cooling methods for Rosie. “Many puppies do just fine if the car is cool and if they have fresh air. Keep the air conditioning on if possible. Use a crate fan if needed” (Swaim 283). Another cooling technique is leaving the window slightly open. I’m not really sure if this one is the best for Rosie because although she seems to like it and places her head out the window to watch the people outside, it may induce the carsickness due to the motion aspect of it.

My question to you: Have any of your animals ever experienced car sickness? If they have in the past, have they grown out of it since then?

Leash Training

Update from last post: As talked about before, Rosie had serious digging issues and would attempt to dig on everything. I have applied the technique of giving her something to do by either playing a game with her such as catch or by giving her one of her favorite bones to chew on. Because I am doing this, her digging has decreased, but it’s still there. I have yet to build her a digging pit in my backyard, but I plan on doing so once the weather gets nicer, and once it gets closer to summer.

A couple of weeks ago, I took Rosie on her first walk because she had finally received all of her shots allowing her do so. I was so excited because I have been waiting to do this ever since I got her, and had to keep on waiting until she was old enough. I was so happy when I was finally able to put on her leash and collar and actually leave the yard of my house with her. When I finally walked out the front door and reached the crosswalk in front of my house, I realized that this was going to be one long walk.

My parents and I both agreed that we would have Rosie walk on to the left of us, just as we did with our previous dog. Rosie didn’t seem to understand this concept and ran as fast as she could across the street. I ran after her and pulled the leash back in order to gain some control over her, but this did nothing. She began to drag me everywhere and pull the leash in all directions. “Unfortunately, walks often turn into battlegrounds. Some puppies pull hard and drag their owners along” (Swaim 204). I kept giving her different commands like “come” and “heel” but she was so young and inexperienced that she couldn’t understand these terms. “Pulling while walking on a leash is one of the most common issues for puppy parents (Swaim 246). A method used to treat this is called stop and go. In this method, you keep the end of the leash placed near your stomach. If your puppy pulls, no matter what, you can’t extend your arm. This will let you dog know how much of the leash they will have to work with. If they keep pulling on the leash, stop and ignore them, until they take a step back and provide you with an excess amount of leash (Swaim). Although this task may seem tedious, it is very precise and will force your dog to catch on to the intended goal.



Rosie getting ready for her walk

Not only was just simply walking her a problem but I began to walk her up a hill to go to an elementary school, she began to stop excessively like she was scared to go up. “Others are terrified and stop often” (Swaim 204). A way to prevent this from happening is to give a specific command such as “let’s go.” If Rosie stopped at area and responded by looking at me and following me after I give that command, I should give her a treat along with praise (Swaim 206). This would allow her to think that her responding to the command is good and will her to receive rewards.

My question to you: Do have any other tips for leash issues?

Stop the Digging

Update from last post: Rosie is having less and less accidents in the house because she now understands that the only area designated for her is outside. Each time she does go outside we praise her and give her a treat. Although she is getting pretty good at this, she does have the occasional mishap and when she does we don’t necessarily yell at her, but we tell her “bad” and instantly take her outside.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that Rosie is a Havashire, meaning that she is a Havanese Yorkshire Terrier mix. This is very crucial to today’s post because terriers love to dig, which is one of Rosie’s biggest problems. “Digging is natural, especially for terrier breeds and some hounds” (Swaim 240). When people think of dogs digging, they instantly imagine a dog digging up plants in a garden and ruining the yard by leaving little holes everywhere. I can agree with this because I also thought the same thing. But no, Rosie does the complete opposite of this and although she has yet to dig outside, she does attempts to frequently throughout my house.

Rosie digs everywhere and on almost everything. She digs on people, on the floors of my house and especially on the cracks of our furniture. My dad thinks this is based on the instinct she automatically receives due to her being a terrier and I also concur, but I wonder why she only chooses to do so in the house.

According to Swaim, “Some dogs might dig because they smell something like mole or mouse and it’s exciting to try to dig up. Other dogs dig because they’re bored” (Swaim 240). This information seems to come in to play with Rosie’s behavior because she usually tends to either be laying or sitting somewhere before she actually starts to dig.





Distracting Rosie by giving her a toy

If your dog is bored, you have to grab their attention and give them something to do (Swaim 405). An example of this is to give them a toy to play with or a bone to eat. Another example of this is to “make your puppy [their] own digging pit. Get play yard sand and dig a hole 8 to 12 inches deep and several feet wide. At first put treats on the top of the sand, then begin burying the treats just under the sand. Work up to burying the treats and toys farther down” (Swaim 240). In my opinion, this would be a great method used to help stop Rosie from digging inside because not only does she love treats, but she also loves being outdoors.



My question to you: Do your pets ever do anything like this? If so,                                                          how do you try to stop it from happening?

Potty Training

Update from last post: The last time we talked, I was explaining how my dog Rosie hated her crate. She never wanted to go inside and when she did, she seemed very scared and began to whine profusely. After applying the techniques of praising her and giving her treats after going into her crate, she seemed to warm up to it. Now we leave the door open for her so she can go in whenever she wants. Now, if I can’t seem to find her, I look for her in her crate and typically finding her in it fast asleep. Training strategies such as these are allowing her to progress and become more comfortable in her new forever home.

Within the past few weeks, Rosie has had the problem of having accidents in the house. I tend to keep a close eye on her to make sure that this doesn’t happen but it seems like every single time I turn away, she has another accident waiting on the ground for me to clean up. It was beginning to get pretty irritating and old really quickly.

At first, we placed “potty pads” throughout our house and tried to show Rosie that this was her designated area to go to the bathroom. After she began to catch on to what we were trying to teach her,  we transitioned her “by placing the potty pads in an area outside where you want[ed] [her] to go” (Swaim 94). As we started to do this, I think Rosie began to feel a little anxious due to being introduced to a new environment such as the outdoors and because of our wonderful Washington weather, which mostly consist of rain.

Once she was accustomed to this new setting, I “followed all of the preceding steps, taking [her] out on a leash and praising [her] as soon as [she] potties in the new spot. Block access to the area where [she] was going in the house so [she] won’t be tempted to go back to the same spot” (Swaim 94). After a few days, Rosie began to go on the potty pads without any issue. When this occurred, we began to make the pads smaller and smaller until she just went to the bathroom near where we originally placed the designated area (Swaim 94).

Rosie walking to her designated area

Rosie after going to the bathroom

While reading this chapter of potty training in an Idiot’s Guide to Puppies I learned many things that I probably would have never actually thought about. Such as teaching my small steps and eventually transitioning her into another step until I achieved my goal with her. To be honest I probably would have just stuck her outside and waited until she did her business.

My question to you: Did any of you potty train your dogs in a fashion similar to this? If not, how did you train your dog?

 

Sierra Garcia: Crate Training

When we were first assigned this project, I had no idea which topic to choose. At first I was thinking something along the lines of baking or cooking, but then I realized that I really had no interest in that at all. I kept searching for a topic until my parents surprised me with a puppy as an early birthday present. Then it came to me, I would train my dog.

Here's a little background information on me. I've grown up surrounded by animals my whole life. My mom had found a Tuxedo cat (whom she named Ebony) under her dad's truck. Ebony was just a kitten, yet it seemed as if she had already be trained. This astonished my mom because she was so young and already knew some of the most common things that most cats have difficulty learning. I also had an English Bulldog named Topper. Although Topper was one of the best dogs I have ever encountered, he had no manners. My family and I tried to teach him certain things as a puppy but they never stuck with him. He only grasped the simple things like commands such as sit and heel.

Now that I have another dog, I understand that I have to train her while she is still impressionable. Her mind is a blank slate that I will now try to fill with positive training so that she can behave properly. 

So far, Rosie has been pretty manageable for a puppy as young as she is, but she does have problems with her crate. Dog crates are used as a place where one can feel safe. Not only this, but they are also used to keep them from getting into trouble when they are home alone.

As I put Rosie in her crate before I leave for school or even when I try to get her accustomed to the idea of it, Rosie shows all signs of discomfort. She either runs away, or if I can manage to place her in it and close the door, she cries for long periods of time. 

Throughout the week, I used the method of giving Rosie treats each time I placed her inside of the crate. "Once the puppy is in the crate, calmly close the door while he's in. Ignore him by turning your back by looking away for a few seconds. Immediately open the door and give the puppy a treat" (Swaim 84). This technique of rewarding your dog doesn't make them feel like they are getting disciplined but allows them to feel as if they did something good along with giving them the feeling that they are safe. 

Rosie after the week of crate training.