Reilly got his sutures removed this morning. I found it hilarious and sweet that other students who had seen him when he was in before had to come in and love on him, too. He's a heart-stealer, for sure!
Since he had the seroma on his left knee, and was showing a small one on his right knee, the vet student who removed the sutures had him seen by the clinician on duty...who happened to be the department head. It seems the seromas are quite common in younger dogs so not unexpected. Reilly will be eased back into being active more slowly than we anticipated. He wants us to continue hot packing and massage and increase his walk time slowly. They're expecting eight weeks post surgery before he's allowed rougher activities. He did say that some people would try to drain the seromas, but in his experience it increases the risk of infection in the joint, plus they fill back up anyway. I've seen them drained in the past, and know that they often do fill back up, so see no sense in doing that.
Overall, they were quite pleased with how he's healing up. So are we.
We have managed to get past the accidents in the house with reminders that he should ask, and immediate response from us when he does. I'd like to modify how he asks, but that can be worked on later. Asking is the important thing.
Jake went to knit night tonight. I stayed for three hours this time. Jake began on the floor at my side, and as more people came in, he slowly crawled under the table in front of my feet. This is the perfect place for him to be, and most service dogs are trained to go under the table. I can see a need to teach Jake to crawl on command, as he didn't know how to come out from under there. He sat up...and banged his head on the table. He couldn't sit up all the way and was confused. At home, our table is a counter height. It allows the dogs to walk under more easily, and it's much easier for me to have the higher chairs. Aside from that though, Jake did beautifully. He got so comfortable that he snored, and didn't react at all when someone brought in McDonalds for several of us. Knitnight is valuable for him to learn patience, waiting, and for getting used to having lots of strangers close by. It will be very helpful since we have a new semester starting soon.
I intend to start going to work next week, with Jake, and going into the classrooms I'll be teaching in, using the computers in there to do my prep work. I'll take Jake's throw from my office, so he gets used to having his space, and waiting in there. That should make it easier when classes start.
Off to bed!
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Jake out and about
Today I needed to run some errands, searching for some wide, heavy duty, sew-in Velcro. Hubby also needed to go to Harbor Freight. Anticipating lower crowds, I took Jake. We did HF first. He did very well, responding to "left" and "right" as we turned through isles. He did stretch toward one man who held his hand out, but stopped when I minded him that he wasn't supposed to do that. We then went to JoAnnes craft/fabric store. He did exceptionally well there, passing carts and people with aplomb. It was the first time he's seen shopping carts, too. There was a little girl he was attracted to, but again, he desisted when reminded.
JoAnnes didn't have what we needed, so we proceeded to Hobby Lobby. He decided he was an old hand at this now, and bypassed excited children as well as people and carts. But they still didn't have what I needed....so on to Michael's. Again, he acted like a pro. The only exception there was on the way out, where they have metal framed containers to display baskets and such, Chris rattled one, and Jake jumped. He settled back down quickly though.
We came home after that...still with no Velcro! Jake behaved marvelously. The check-out girl at HF didn't even notice him until we had paid and started to leave. I'm extremely proud of him.
Tomorrow we leave at 7:00 am to get to Reilly's 9:00 am appointment for suture removal and re-check. We'll see how it all goes. Chris is still hot/cold packing that swollen left knee.
Now I must find the sew-in Velcro so I can adapt doggie backpacks to fit the mobility harness.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, et al
JoAnnes didn't have what we needed, so we proceeded to Hobby Lobby. He decided he was an old hand at this now, and bypassed excited children as well as people and carts. But they still didn't have what I needed....so on to Michael's. Again, he acted like a pro. The only exception there was on the way out, where they have metal framed containers to display baskets and such, Chris rattled one, and Jake jumped. He settled back down quickly though.
We came home after that...still with no Velcro! Jake behaved marvelously. The check-out girl at HF didn't even notice him until we had paid and started to leave. I'm extremely proud of him.
Tomorrow we leave at 7:00 am to get to Reilly's 9:00 am appointment for suture removal and re-check. We'll see how it all goes. Chris is still hot/cold packing that swollen left knee.
Now I must find the sew-in Velcro so I can adapt doggie backpacks to fit the mobility harness.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, et al
Local vet recheck
Took Reilly to get looked at Wednesday as the seroma on his left knee just won't stay away. It goes down with a hot pack, then comes right back. It was larger and firmer than it has been, so we called and got a short appointment to get it checked. Doc Kim checked him out, agreed that he doesn't have signs of infection, and called State to confirm her suggestions for care (continued hot packs alternating with cold, and gentle massage). She also asked up to give them her email when we go up as she would like a copy of his x-rays. She wants to see better what she should be looking for on knees. Turns out she's only seen OCD in shoulders and has not had a case in knees, which is one reason it didn't get picked up. So she wants to fill in that education gap.
She did a quick scan of his record from State, and was amazed (and thrilled) that we went ahead and did the CT of his elbows while he was under anaesthesia. It was cheaper to do it then than to go back through all the anaesthesia again later, not to mention easier on him. After her comments today, I realize that I often forget the fact that we live in an area where people let their dogs run free or or leave them chained in the backyard, and they are considered disposable. It's not uncommon to see several puppies on the side of the road where they've all been hit by a car, as the litter has never been confined. So I'm guessing that most of her clientele would not pay to have their dog's knees fixed, but would let it remain in pain or put it down. On the other hand, I believe that when you get a pet, it's a responsibility. And a personality. Not disposable.
Reilly is quickly learning again to ask to go out, although he's not so quick to poop once he gets out. He pees like a race horse....but he also drinks more water than any dog I've ever seen. But he doesn't poop so quickly. But he's figured out that if he comes in and still needs to poop, to just ask to go out again, and we'll do that.
Of course, his asking right now is not subtle. He just starts barking. Loudly. It gets the point across, but he's got a serious big-dog bark going on that reverberates nicely through the house. Funny pup. Still, he's remembering what he should do, and that's good.
Jake starts beginner obedience class in a week or so. He already knows much of what is taught there, but it will still be good for him, and he'll go right into his CGC class. By then, Reilly will be fully healed and ready to go back to school, too. If it wasn't for the hurdle jumping, I'd put one of them in competition obedience, but jumping is not what they need to be doing. I'll just find another outlet somewhere for Reilly.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
She did a quick scan of his record from State, and was amazed (and thrilled) that we went ahead and did the CT of his elbows while he was under anaesthesia. It was cheaper to do it then than to go back through all the anaesthesia again later, not to mention easier on him. After her comments today, I realize that I often forget the fact that we live in an area where people let their dogs run free or or leave them chained in the backyard, and they are considered disposable. It's not uncommon to see several puppies on the side of the road where they've all been hit by a car, as the litter has never been confined. So I'm guessing that most of her clientele would not pay to have their dog's knees fixed, but would let it remain in pain or put it down. On the other hand, I believe that when you get a pet, it's a responsibility. And a personality. Not disposable.
Reilly is quickly learning again to ask to go out, although he's not so quick to poop once he gets out. He pees like a race horse....but he also drinks more water than any dog I've ever seen. But he doesn't poop so quickly. But he's figured out that if he comes in and still needs to poop, to just ask to go out again, and we'll do that.
Of course, his asking right now is not subtle. He just starts barking. Loudly. It gets the point across, but he's got a serious big-dog bark going on that reverberates nicely through the house. Funny pup. Still, he's remembering what he should do, and that's good.
Jake starts beginner obedience class in a week or so. He already knows much of what is taught there, but it will still be good for him, and he'll go right into his CGC class. By then, Reilly will be fully healed and ready to go back to school, too. If it wasn't for the hurdle jumping, I'd put one of them in competition obedience, but jumping is not what they need to be doing. I'll just find another outlet somewhere for Reilly.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Did I say bored?
Seriously bored.
The dog bed is now completely history, and he shredded the beach towel I put down on the carpet, too. Chris just took shoes away from him. Reverting to confinement has reverted him to acting like a teething puppy. Sigh. Nothing to do but watch him closely and remind him how he's supposed to behave. And keep giving him toys to play with and things he's allowed to destroy. Every day we get through is an accomplishment. And he'll be happy to get some freedom back at the end of it. If we all survive it!
It's made me remember all the things I would get into as a child when I was kept home sick. And when my son, Joe, was hospitalized at one year old, he tried to dismantle the hospital bed, piece by piece. Healing puppies are very similar to healing children. He feels better and doesn't want to be confined. Sutures out on Friday!
Today Jake escorted me to my knitnight group, and was a perfect gentleman. He is learning the Invisible Dog trick so well that one woman came in, walked past us to a seat, and later in the evening when he was mentioned, it took her by surprise. He'd been beside my chair the entire time. He will begin getting off-farm practice at least every-other day until spring semester starts up; then every day. And his obedience class begins on Jan 3rd.
We're getting there. We're taking a different route than the one I planned, but the scenic route is good, too.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
The dog bed is now completely history, and he shredded the beach towel I put down on the carpet, too. Chris just took shoes away from him. Reverting to confinement has reverted him to acting like a teething puppy. Sigh. Nothing to do but watch him closely and remind him how he's supposed to behave. And keep giving him toys to play with and things he's allowed to destroy. Every day we get through is an accomplishment. And he'll be happy to get some freedom back at the end of it. If we all survive it!
It's made me remember all the things I would get into as a child when I was kept home sick. And when my son, Joe, was hospitalized at one year old, he tried to dismantle the hospital bed, piece by piece. Healing puppies are very similar to healing children. He feels better and doesn't want to be confined. Sutures out on Friday!
Today Jake escorted me to my knitnight group, and was a perfect gentleman. He is learning the Invisible Dog trick so well that one woman came in, walked past us to a seat, and later in the evening when he was mentioned, it took her by surprise. He'd been beside my chair the entire time. He will begin getting off-farm practice at least every-other day until spring semester starts up; then every day. And his obedience class begins on Jan 3rd.
We're getting there. We're taking a different route than the one I planned, but the scenic route is good, too.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
Monday, December 26, 2011
Bored Puppy is bored
What do you get when a mastiff puppy catches Santa?
A snowstorm, maybe?
Oh! Wait! Reilly says that wasn't some old guy's beard after all.
It's just my pillow, Mom.
And since you took it all away...
I decided to bury my chewy in my bed.
Bored Puppy did go for a ride to Georgia and back, and got loved on by my nephews and niece, all in one day. Perhaps that will help for a few hours.
Also, I figured out that Reilly quit asking to go out some time ago, and has simply depended on the other Boys to ask and gone out with them each time. It's apparent now because we don't want them out altogether. It's hard to walk Reilly with the other Boys loose. So Reilly has had a couple accidents inside, simply because he forgot how to ask, and we weren't paying attention. We will be paying attention now, and he will re-learn how to ask.
The things you get with multiple doggies!
Only 2 1/2 weeks of incarceration to go!
Entertainment ideas for Bored Puppy would be welcome.
Meg, Bored Puppy, et al.
Oh! Wait! Reilly says that wasn't some old guy's beard after all.
And since you took it all away...
Bored Puppy did go for a ride to Georgia and back, and got loved on by my nephews and niece, all in one day. Perhaps that will help for a few hours.
Also, I figured out that Reilly quit asking to go out some time ago, and has simply depended on the other Boys to ask and gone out with them each time. It's apparent now because we don't want them out altogether. It's hard to walk Reilly with the other Boys loose. So Reilly has had a couple accidents inside, simply because he forgot how to ask, and we weren't paying attention. We will be paying attention now, and he will re-learn how to ask.
The things you get with multiple doggies!
Only 2 1/2 weeks of incarceration to go!
Entertainment ideas for Bored Puppy would be welcome.
Meg, Bored Puppy, et al.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Happy Christmas!
The swelling in Reilly's knee is down and pretty much back to normal after hot-packing over a couple days. He's not showing any other signs of distress with it, and the suture line looks good, so we're thinking we're past the danger point.
The Boys all got their Christmas stockings this morning, and they were hilarious! They each got two of those "Busy bones" that are supposed to last for hours, and some giant dog biscuits and a new toy. Murphy always wants to just play with his BusyBone. Jake and Reilly both love to eat them...in about fifteen minutes. They were hilarious, grabbing them and sneaking off to hide with them, stealing from each other, trying to stash them somewhere. Then Reilly took several of the giant cookies, one at a time, and simply shredded them on the carpet in the office. We'll be doing some vaccumming later, for sure.
Reilly ended up getting too excited when Jake scarfed the last Busybone, so we had to put him back in his room, where he promptly went to sleep.
I made eggnog/pumpkin/pecan pancakes for Christmas breakfast. The Boys were all hanging out in hopes of sharing some of those (before they got their stockings).
Yes, that is Reilly in the center. Jake is closest to the camera, and Murphy is farthest away. You can see some of the shaved leg of Reilly.
Hope everyone has/had a good Christmas.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, et al.
The Boys all got their Christmas stockings this morning, and they were hilarious! They each got two of those "Busy bones" that are supposed to last for hours, and some giant dog biscuits and a new toy. Murphy always wants to just play with his BusyBone. Jake and Reilly both love to eat them...in about fifteen minutes. They were hilarious, grabbing them and sneaking off to hide with them, stealing from each other, trying to stash them somewhere. Then Reilly took several of the giant cookies, one at a time, and simply shredded them on the carpet in the office. We'll be doing some vaccumming later, for sure.
Reilly ended up getting too excited when Jake scarfed the last Busybone, so we had to put him back in his room, where he promptly went to sleep.
I made eggnog/pumpkin/pecan pancakes for Christmas breakfast. The Boys were all hanging out in hopes of sharing some of those (before they got their stockings).
Yes, that is Reilly in the center. Jake is closest to the camera, and Murphy is farthest away. You can see some of the shaved leg of Reilly.
Hope everyone has/had a good Christmas.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, et al.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Never say it out loud
I should never have posted about how well things are going. Last evening, I noticed one of Reilly's knees was swollen. When I felt it, it was a very fluid swelling, such as when sub-que fluids are given. But no pain, redness, heat, oozing, anything but the swelling. Then hubby tells me that Reilly may have fallen yesterday morning. He heard what sounded like a fall, but didn't see it.
So,, I called the ER line at State, and the on-call vet called me back. After a discussion and a lot of questions and answers, she suggested hot-packing it over night and her calling back this morning. So, we hot packed it, and kept Reilly confined. Chris spent a good deal of the night in the mudroom with him. Reilly wanted to play, however, and Chris is not very good at just telling him to down-stay, so little hot-packing happened after I went to bed. However, the swelling is down markedly this morning, and no new symptoms have appeared. The doc was thinking it sounded like a seroma, which would not be a dreadful thing.
Last night he bent his right knee to pee, but stretched the left one. This morning he is again bending both, so that's a good sign.
I'll let you know....
Meg, Reilly and Jake
So,, I called the ER line at State, and the on-call vet called me back. After a discussion and a lot of questions and answers, she suggested hot-packing it over night and her calling back this morning. So, we hot packed it, and kept Reilly confined. Chris spent a good deal of the night in the mudroom with him. Reilly wanted to play, however, and Chris is not very good at just telling him to down-stay, so little hot-packing happened after I went to bed. However, the swelling is down markedly this morning, and no new symptoms have appeared. The doc was thinking it sounded like a seroma, which would not be a dreadful thing.
Last night he bent his right knee to pee, but stretched the left one. This morning he is again bending both, so that's a good sign.
I'll let you know....
Meg, Reilly and Jake
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Puppy watching
As each day goes by and Chris and I watch Reilly, it's amazing to me how rapidly changes are happening since his surgery. His back is no longer arching and tucking his rear under. His hind legs, while not yet straight, are straighter. When he pees, instead of stretching foreword like a horse, he is bending his knees and squatting. (still not ready to lift that leg, thank goodness!) He stood on three legs and scratched with a hind leg. He gets up and down much easier. His rear end is already showing signs of strengthening, since he's using it more.
I hear stories from reputable sources of dogs who have done this surgery and become sound. I don't know if "sound" means sound enough to carry on regular dog activities, or sound enough to work, but I will allow a small section of hope to remain, and not give up yet. It'll be pure luck, but I'd be thrilled. However, I'll be happy enough to have him pain-free and being a happy, healthy doggie. We'll see what we end up with down the road.
We have an appointment for suture removal on the 30th. After they check him then, we'll know what activity levels he can handle and how to work him back up, or if therapy of any sort would be beneficial.
One day at a time.
Meg, Reilly and Jake
I hear stories from reputable sources of dogs who have done this surgery and become sound. I don't know if "sound" means sound enough to carry on regular dog activities, or sound enough to work, but I will allow a small section of hope to remain, and not give up yet. It'll be pure luck, but I'd be thrilled. However, I'll be happy enough to have him pain-free and being a happy, healthy doggie. We'll see what we end up with down the road.
We have an appointment for suture removal on the 30th. After they check him then, we'll know what activity levels he can handle and how to work him back up, or if therapy of any sort would be beneficial.
One day at a time.
Meg, Reilly and Jake
Monday, December 19, 2011
One frustrated puppy
I wish I could explain to Reilly why he has to stay in a small area and only gets to go out on a leash. He just doesn't understand; can't understand.
He's got this uncanny ability, previously unknown, to mix a deep, full-throated bark with a warbling moaning cry, so that at 1:00 am when he's lonely, you aren't really sure how many dogs are in the mudroom but you decide to take them all for a walk just so they will stop. Tonight we will try having them all sleep in our room. That will frustrate Jake, who likes to move between the sofa and our room. He won't like being shut in or shut out. Currently though, Murphy and Jake are outside, Reilly is on the bed next to my computer being quiet, and it's bedtime for me.
The next month needs to go quickly, for all our sakes!
He's got this uncanny ability, previously unknown, to mix a deep, full-throated bark with a warbling moaning cry, so that at 1:00 am when he's lonely, you aren't really sure how many dogs are in the mudroom but you decide to take them all for a walk just so they will stop. Tonight we will try having them all sleep in our room. That will frustrate Jake, who likes to move between the sofa and our room. He won't like being shut in or shut out. Currently though, Murphy and Jake are outside, Reilly is on the bed next to my computer being quiet, and it's bedtime for me.
The next month needs to go quickly, for all our sakes!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Incarceration
Poor Reilly. It wasn't fifteen minutes after my last post that he went to run down the hallway to pounce on a toy. He spent most of the day after that in the mudroom. He got walked frequently, and was beginning to be a bit to handle there, too. He feels much better, he wants to play, and he doesn't understand that he can't disturb the blood clots in his knee. They're the foundation for the repairs his body will make and they need to be solid. So I'm working on doggie entertainment. A peanut butter laden Kong kept him occupied for about ten minutes. A giant size rawhide chewy is doing better, but I have to be careful with those so he doesn't pull off chunks of it. We did let him back out this evening, as they are usually much calmer in the evening....but that lasted thirty minutes before he started getting rambunctious.
It's going to be a long month, keeping him under control. Well worth it, but long, long, long. For us, and especially for him, since he can't even watch the calendar!
If anyone has any quiet doggy entertainment ideas, I'm all ears!
Meg, Reilly and Jake
It's going to be a long month, keeping him under control. Well worth it, but long, long, long. For us, and especially for him, since he can't even watch the calendar!
If anyone has any quiet doggy entertainment ideas, I'm all ears!
Meg, Reilly and Jake
Healing
Wow. What a difference! Reilly is allowed supervised freedom of movement in the house as long as he's not being too active...walking is good for him; jumping and running are not. But we may have to confine him. He's spending far more time on his feet than he was before. He sooooo wants to run and play. It's like he's a ten week old puppy again! His knees look great. They put in a very good mattress suture, and it doesn't pull at all. Plus, Reilly has not offered even once to lick or chew, so is not stuck in an Elizabethan collar. He did get some minor post-surgical swelling, but it appears to be gone today. And he wants to run and play. Poor fella, it will be a few more weeks before he can do that. But then he'll be free to be!
Our wonderful breeder, Martha, called after my series of update emails. She was rather upset that, of all the litter, the pup intended for a service dog is the one that had to come up with this. Not that she'd wish it on any of them of course, but it was a double-slam for it to be him. Especially since she's tried so hard to make sure that her litter was free of genetic issues. I had to remind her that you can't test for this one. Yes, I'm quite disappointed. But one thing this disease of mine has taught me is that crying over something you can't fix is a waste of time and energy. So, we go on.
Although I don't anticipate that Reilly will be able to be a mobility dog, that doesn't mean he can't work. He can still be taught to pick up things I drop, bring me things I indicate, and some other non-weight-bearing chores. And he'll still get his CGC and probably his Therapy Dog certification. His temperament is perfect for that. I couldn't handle both Jake as a mobility dog and Reilly as Therapy, But Chris could take him when he visits soldiers in the hospital, where allowed. Even if he never uses the training though, just the training itself will keep him occupied. I may continue with obedience classes, leaving out anything that involves jumping. He needs occupation.
Oh...I've had a couple people ask, for different reasons, but no, Reilly is not going to be given back/gotten rid of/anything of the sort. (In case you hadn't figured that out already!) Reilly is part of our family. The family didn't throw me out on my ear when we found out I was broke, and we aren't doing it to any other family member, either.
So, between the two doggies, this blog will continue, but it will be about training both of them from here on out, not just Reilly. His coming into our house is still a wonderful thing for us, but I must expand to include Jake at this point.
I'll keep you updated on how he heals!
Meg, Reilly and Jake
Our wonderful breeder, Martha, called after my series of update emails. She was rather upset that, of all the litter, the pup intended for a service dog is the one that had to come up with this. Not that she'd wish it on any of them of course, but it was a double-slam for it to be him. Especially since she's tried so hard to make sure that her litter was free of genetic issues. I had to remind her that you can't test for this one. Yes, I'm quite disappointed. But one thing this disease of mine has taught me is that crying over something you can't fix is a waste of time and energy. So, we go on.
Although I don't anticipate that Reilly will be able to be a mobility dog, that doesn't mean he can't work. He can still be taught to pick up things I drop, bring me things I indicate, and some other non-weight-bearing chores. And he'll still get his CGC and probably his Therapy Dog certification. His temperament is perfect for that. I couldn't handle both Jake as a mobility dog and Reilly as Therapy, But Chris could take him when he visits soldiers in the hospital, where allowed. Even if he never uses the training though, just the training itself will keep him occupied. I may continue with obedience classes, leaving out anything that involves jumping. He needs occupation.
Oh...I've had a couple people ask, for different reasons, but no, Reilly is not going to be given back/gotten rid of/anything of the sort. (In case you hadn't figured that out already!) Reilly is part of our family. The family didn't throw me out on my ear when we found out I was broke, and we aren't doing it to any other family member, either.
So, between the two doggies, this blog will continue, but it will be about training both of them from here on out, not just Reilly. His coming into our house is still a wonderful thing for us, but I must expand to include Jake at this point.
I'll keep you updated on how he heals!
Meg, Reilly and Jake
Friday, December 16, 2011
I forgot the funny part....
I forgot to tell you the funny part about our initial meeting with Dr. Marcellin.
We we got there, he began by directing his conversation to my husband. About halfway through the physical, he wanted Reilly to lie back down on the floor. I was seated in the only chair in the room with arms, kinda in the corner. Chris was in another chair, off to my right. The student was standing on the other side of the room. Dr. M. was on the floor in front of me, with Reilly sitting in front of me, facing towards Susan. Yeah, kinda crowded right in front of me.
Dr. M. tried to get Reilly to lie down. Susan added her voice. Chris did also. Reilly sat there. I got up, despite the Dr. telling me they'd manage and to stay seated. I walked in front of them so Reilly could focus on me, and simply told him, "Reilly, Down." He did. (All the lovely hours at obedience school paid off nicely there.) They all stared at me, although Chris chuckled and and commented that Reilly knew who the boss was.
After that point, all Dr. M's comments were directed at me.
I guess he assumed that a mastiff was a guy dog, and didn't realize that Reilly was MY dog. Once he did, he immediately changed his approach. I must applaud him for paying attention to such details. But it was funny!
We we got there, he began by directing his conversation to my husband. About halfway through the physical, he wanted Reilly to lie back down on the floor. I was seated in the only chair in the room with arms, kinda in the corner. Chris was in another chair, off to my right. The student was standing on the other side of the room. Dr. M. was on the floor in front of me, with Reilly sitting in front of me, facing towards Susan. Yeah, kinda crowded right in front of me.
Dr. M. tried to get Reilly to lie down. Susan added her voice. Chris did also. Reilly sat there. I got up, despite the Dr. telling me they'd manage and to stay seated. I walked in front of them so Reilly could focus on me, and simply told him, "Reilly, Down." He did. (All the lovely hours at obedience school paid off nicely there.) They all stared at me, although Chris chuckled and and commented that Reilly knew who the boss was.
After that point, all Dr. M's comments were directed at me.
I guess he assumed that a mastiff was a guy dog, and didn't realize that Reilly was MY dog. Once he did, he immediately changed his approach. I must applaud him for paying attention to such details. But it was funny!
Home again, home again.....
Yay! Our sweet boy is home again!
Twenty-four hours after surgery, on fewer meds than he was before, and he's showing far less pain. I'm so pleased for him!
On our request, they saved the cartilage flaps they removed from his joints. One side had a flap that measured about 8 x 10 mm. Huge. Think of having something like that in your joint! It was loose from the main cartilage, but had not yet moved. There was cartilage and bone inflammation and some of both had to be removed, but not much. Dr. Marcellin said on more severe cases they sometimes actually have to drill into the bone to get the healing blood flow needed, but Reilly needed only scraping out the damaged bone and cartilage to reach healthy tissue. On the other knee the flap was smaller, but the surrounding tissue looked like it had caved in, like a sinkhole. He ended up with an area of removal about the same size as the first knee.
Reilly will be on leash walk for potty breaks only until the stitches are out in two weeks. After that, another two weeks of limited activity. We've set the mudroom back up as his holding pen when we aren't home. He's allowed house freedom when we're there to prevent rough-housing or jumping. He's never been much on either of those, so he should be fine inside. We picked up a carpet for the mudroom floor so he has sufficient traction, installed his favorite of the orthopedic dog beds, and a pillow (he likes pillows) plus food and water and toys, and he's good to go!
Dr. Marcellin had a big discussion about genetic diseases with us. Although there is still lots of older material on the internet, the research in the last ten-fifteen years shows that OCD is a poly genetic disease with sex-linked characteristics...it's seen in more males, but carried by females. However, since it's poly genetic, there is more than one gene involved, so it's not that simple. And obviously it's not a dominant trait...neither of Reilly's parents has it. It has been shown in research that it is more heritable than hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia. But there's still no test for it. Someone needs to work on that!
For those interested, the articles referenced are:
Padgett GA, Mostosky UV, Probst CW, et al. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 1995; 31:327-30. The inheritance of osteochondritis dissecans and fragmented coronoid process of the elbow joint in Labrador Retrievers.
Hartmann P, Stock KF, Distl O. [Multivarigate genetic analysis of canine hip and elbow dysplasia as well as humeral osteochondrosis in the Bernese mountain dog]. BerlMunch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 2010; 123:488-95
Dr. Marcellin had high compliments for Reilly's socialization, his manners, his wonderful temperament, and his overall condition. He requested that we continue the diet he's on, of course making sure that he never becomes overweight.
I'll have to think on it to see if there's anything else I'm leaving out. I don't think so. Right now, things are looking up. :)
Meg, Reilly, Jake, Murphy...and Chris.
Twenty-four hours after surgery, on fewer meds than he was before, and he's showing far less pain. I'm so pleased for him!
On our request, they saved the cartilage flaps they removed from his joints. One side had a flap that measured about 8 x 10 mm. Huge. Think of having something like that in your joint! It was loose from the main cartilage, but had not yet moved. There was cartilage and bone inflammation and some of both had to be removed, but not much. Dr. Marcellin said on more severe cases they sometimes actually have to drill into the bone to get the healing blood flow needed, but Reilly needed only scraping out the damaged bone and cartilage to reach healthy tissue. On the other knee the flap was smaller, but the surrounding tissue looked like it had caved in, like a sinkhole. He ended up with an area of removal about the same size as the first knee.
Reilly will be on leash walk for potty breaks only until the stitches are out in two weeks. After that, another two weeks of limited activity. We've set the mudroom back up as his holding pen when we aren't home. He's allowed house freedom when we're there to prevent rough-housing or jumping. He's never been much on either of those, so he should be fine inside. We picked up a carpet for the mudroom floor so he has sufficient traction, installed his favorite of the orthopedic dog beds, and a pillow (he likes pillows) plus food and water and toys, and he's good to go!
Dr. Marcellin had a big discussion about genetic diseases with us. Although there is still lots of older material on the internet, the research in the last ten-fifteen years shows that OCD is a poly genetic disease with sex-linked characteristics...it's seen in more males, but carried by females. However, since it's poly genetic, there is more than one gene involved, so it's not that simple. And obviously it's not a dominant trait...neither of Reilly's parents has it. It has been shown in research that it is more heritable than hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia. But there's still no test for it. Someone needs to work on that!
For those interested, the articles referenced are:
Padgett GA, Mostosky UV, Probst CW, et al. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 1995; 31:327-30. The inheritance of osteochondritis dissecans and fragmented coronoid process of the elbow joint in Labrador Retrievers.
Hartmann P, Stock KF, Distl O. [Multivarigate genetic analysis of canine hip and elbow dysplasia as well as humeral osteochondrosis in the Bernese mountain dog]. BerlMunch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 2010; 123:488-95
Dr. Marcellin had high compliments for Reilly's socialization, his manners, his wonderful temperament, and his overall condition. He requested that we continue the diet he's on, of course making sure that he never becomes overweight.
I'll have to think on it to see if there's anything else I'm leaving out. I don't think so. Right now, things are looking up. :)
Meg, Reilly, Jake, Murphy...and Chris.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Post-surgical check
Okay, they didn't get out of surgery until after 5:00, but I now have news. Reilly did fine with the anaesthesia. The cartilage flaps in his knees were larger than anticipated and the damage to the cartilage worse than anticipated, which is why it took so long. They removed the flaps and smoothed the cartilage so the joints could articulate properly. He woke without complications. And, they had called this morning and asked if I wanted to go ahead and check his elbows while he was under, so he wouldn't have to do another bout of anaesthesia later, so they did a CT scan on his elbows too. The person who called me this evening was not the surgeon nor the student, who was still with Reilly, but she said that a quick glance showed nothing that jumped out. They'll give it a closer review tomorrow, but it may well be that the elbow pain was simply a result of him carrying his weight awkwardly. I'll sleep with my fingers crossed tonight that it reads well on close examination tomorrow.
So, Chris and I will be heading back to Raleigh tomorrow afternoon to pick him up. I'm glad that we are now between semesters, so I can spend most of my time home with him. We'll have to rearrange some holiday plans, but that's no problem at all.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, Murphy...and Chris. Might as well put us all in there!
So, Chris and I will be heading back to Raleigh tomorrow afternoon to pick him up. I'm glad that we are now between semesters, so I can spend most of my time home with him. We'll have to rearrange some holiday plans, but that's no problem at all.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, Murphy...and Chris. Might as well put us all in there!
Surgery
First, thanks for the well-wishes for Reilly. We appreciate them.
Reilly managed to stay off the pain meds for a couple days, but Sunday and Monday nights he had to have them again. Tuesday night he was taken off food and not allowed meds, and Wednesday morning we were off to Raleigh to NC State Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Our appointment wasn't until 11:30, but we were there by 11:00.
We first saw a fourth-year vet student named Sue, who took a very thorough history and did a physical. Then she went off to discuss with the orthopedist, Dr. Marcellin, whom you can see here. His research area is in physical therapy and rehabilitation. Dr. M. came in, repeated the physical, with additions such as measuring joint flexure. Pain response was noted for hips, knees and elbows. Some physical abnormalities were noted in knees.
He mentioned that Reilly did have the "normal" growth issues associated with giant breed dogs, but he had other issues. Hips are more common than knees or elbows, so he wanted to start there, with x-rays. Since Reilly had been off food since the night before, they sedated him and took both lateral and dorsal views of hips. And he used a large enough plate to get his knees too.
His hips were good. Nice, sound hips, which was a relief. His knees? Not so good. He has a genetic disease called Osteochonditis Dissecans, or OCD. Not something that can be genetically tested for yet. It can only be diagnosed individually. He showed me where Great Dane breeders are compiling a genetic list for it, such as Mastiff breeders are currently doing for Cystinuria, but was unaware if there was such a list for mastiffs yet. I'll have to check on that, even though Reilly was never meant to be be bred and was not sold as a potential breeder.
At any rate, after going over possibilities, alternatives and the risks they have, and reviewing his x-rays showing large flaps of cartilage interfering with joint movement, his recommendation was surgery to remove them and smooth that cartilage.
Even with surgery, Reilly will never be 100% sound. He will never be a working dog. He will, however, remain a member of our family and be a much loved pet.
Today, Reilly is having surgery. Tomorrow, we pick him up. He'll be on limited exercise and leash-walk only for at least a month, and perhaps six weeks. Then we'll get to see how much improvement the surgery brought him. I hope he'll be out of pain by then, and able to run and play like a puppy should be able to. But at that time they'll do an assessment of his elbows, which were also showing signs. Hopefully we will not need to do further surgery on those.
I wish that I had requested a referral earlier. I wish my vet had suggested it. The "wait and see" and "we've got time" and "just rest him" attitudes caused him more pain in the long run.
Speaking of which....when he was still thinking hips were a higher possibility, he told me that giant breeds should be screened by four months for hip dysplasia, particularly if they show any signs whatsoever of gait issues. We have gotten so used to OFA tests at 24 months that we forget that the purpose of OFA is to show healthy dogs. But hip dysplasia discovered by four months old can be surgically corrected...with a surgery that cannot be done on an older puppy such as Reilly is, at seven months. We did not discuss it further since his hips were sound, but I will bear it in mind for future large breed pups. Sometimes doing surgery young is a much better plan than doing the "wait and see", especially in something degenerative, such as hip dysplasia or OCD.
Chris asked me if I wanted to get another puppy and try again. No. It took months to find Reilly, with his perfect temperament. I doubt I'll ever be so lucky again. I'll keep working with Jake and see how his potential is. He still has some shyness issues to overcome, but he is working on them. If it hadn't been for Reilly, I would never have seen the potential in Jake. Perhaps that's how Reilly is my Knight in Shining Armor.
I'll post again when I know how Reilly did through surgery.
Meg, Reilly, and Jake
Reilly managed to stay off the pain meds for a couple days, but Sunday and Monday nights he had to have them again. Tuesday night he was taken off food and not allowed meds, and Wednesday morning we were off to Raleigh to NC State Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Our appointment wasn't until 11:30, but we were there by 11:00.
We first saw a fourth-year vet student named Sue, who took a very thorough history and did a physical. Then she went off to discuss with the orthopedist, Dr. Marcellin, whom you can see here. His research area is in physical therapy and rehabilitation. Dr. M. came in, repeated the physical, with additions such as measuring joint flexure. Pain response was noted for hips, knees and elbows. Some physical abnormalities were noted in knees.
He mentioned that Reilly did have the "normal" growth issues associated with giant breed dogs, but he had other issues. Hips are more common than knees or elbows, so he wanted to start there, with x-rays. Since Reilly had been off food since the night before, they sedated him and took both lateral and dorsal views of hips. And he used a large enough plate to get his knees too.
His hips were good. Nice, sound hips, which was a relief. His knees? Not so good. He has a genetic disease called Osteochonditis Dissecans, or OCD. Not something that can be genetically tested for yet. It can only be diagnosed individually. He showed me where Great Dane breeders are compiling a genetic list for it, such as Mastiff breeders are currently doing for Cystinuria, but was unaware if there was such a list for mastiffs yet. I'll have to check on that, even though Reilly was never meant to be be bred and was not sold as a potential breeder.
At any rate, after going over possibilities, alternatives and the risks they have, and reviewing his x-rays showing large flaps of cartilage interfering with joint movement, his recommendation was surgery to remove them and smooth that cartilage.
Even with surgery, Reilly will never be 100% sound. He will never be a working dog. He will, however, remain a member of our family and be a much loved pet.
Today, Reilly is having surgery. Tomorrow, we pick him up. He'll be on limited exercise and leash-walk only for at least a month, and perhaps six weeks. Then we'll get to see how much improvement the surgery brought him. I hope he'll be out of pain by then, and able to run and play like a puppy should be able to. But at that time they'll do an assessment of his elbows, which were also showing signs. Hopefully we will not need to do further surgery on those.
I wish that I had requested a referral earlier. I wish my vet had suggested it. The "wait and see" and "we've got time" and "just rest him" attitudes caused him more pain in the long run.
Speaking of which....when he was still thinking hips were a higher possibility, he told me that giant breeds should be screened by four months for hip dysplasia, particularly if they show any signs whatsoever of gait issues. We have gotten so used to OFA tests at 24 months that we forget that the purpose of OFA is to show healthy dogs. But hip dysplasia discovered by four months old can be surgically corrected...with a surgery that cannot be done on an older puppy such as Reilly is, at seven months. We did not discuss it further since his hips were sound, but I will bear it in mind for future large breed pups. Sometimes doing surgery young is a much better plan than doing the "wait and see", especially in something degenerative, such as hip dysplasia or OCD.
Chris asked me if I wanted to get another puppy and try again. No. It took months to find Reilly, with his perfect temperament. I doubt I'll ever be so lucky again. I'll keep working with Jake and see how his potential is. He still has some shyness issues to overcome, but he is working on them. If it hadn't been for Reilly, I would never have seen the potential in Jake. Perhaps that's how Reilly is my Knight in Shining Armor.
I'll post again when I know how Reilly did through surgery.
Meg, Reilly, and Jake
Friday, December 9, 2011
Reilly update
First, Reilly and I thank you for the well-wishes. They are appreciated.
I believe he's through the worst of this growth spurt. His pain levels are down, as evidenced by his reduced crying and increased activity. He's still smart enough not to try to run with the other dogs, or climb the carport steps, but last night for the first time in a couple weeks he got his front end on the bed and stretched across to stick his just-came-from-the-water-bowl muzzle in my face. I had been sound asleep! I got up and helped him on the bed, then went back to sleep. When Jake and I came home today, he also stepped up his front end into the car. I have a new Element with side steps on it so it's easier for him, but he hasn't tried in a couple weeks so him spontaneously doing that is good evidence of decreased pain.
So at least he will neither be in pain nor living on drugs until his appointment next week. That's a plus! He's such a sweetheart of a doggie, it's hard to see him in pain.
In the meantime, Jake went to work with me today. It's the last day of finals week. My finals are over and the campus has far fewer people than usual, so a good test. The elevator did make him nervous, but that was overcome by the treats in my pocket. He surprised me by settling down in my office and napping while I worked. I was afraid he would fret. We walked across campus to take his shot records to the disability office. They do not ask it of me as by law they cannot, but the students have to file theirs, so I figure it's only fair. Since Jake has done some counterbalance work for me at home, I opted not to carry anything aside from my back-sling purse, so my balance wouldn't be terribly off...and did not carry a stick at all! They finally got my brace fixed a couple weeks ago, and with a working leg brace and Jake, I did just fine! And actually was far more comfortable than with the sticks! It was wonderful. Jake still has a lot to learn, but we went slowly so he could look around him and get used to things like doors that open on their own and different types of floors, and I had no balance issues today at all.
I can not wait until I have properly trained dogs! (note the plural there)
Meg, Reilly ...and Jake
I believe he's through the worst of this growth spurt. His pain levels are down, as evidenced by his reduced crying and increased activity. He's still smart enough not to try to run with the other dogs, or climb the carport steps, but last night for the first time in a couple weeks he got his front end on the bed and stretched across to stick his just-came-from-the-water-bowl muzzle in my face. I had been sound asleep! I got up and helped him on the bed, then went back to sleep. When Jake and I came home today, he also stepped up his front end into the car. I have a new Element with side steps on it so it's easier for him, but he hasn't tried in a couple weeks so him spontaneously doing that is good evidence of decreased pain.
So at least he will neither be in pain nor living on drugs until his appointment next week. That's a plus! He's such a sweetheart of a doggie, it's hard to see him in pain.
In the meantime, Jake went to work with me today. It's the last day of finals week. My finals are over and the campus has far fewer people than usual, so a good test. The elevator did make him nervous, but that was overcome by the treats in my pocket. He surprised me by settling down in my office and napping while I worked. I was afraid he would fret. We walked across campus to take his shot records to the disability office. They do not ask it of me as by law they cannot, but the students have to file theirs, so I figure it's only fair. Since Jake has done some counterbalance work for me at home, I opted not to carry anything aside from my back-sling purse, so my balance wouldn't be terribly off...and did not carry a stick at all! They finally got my brace fixed a couple weeks ago, and with a working leg brace and Jake, I did just fine! And actually was far more comfortable than with the sticks! It was wonderful. Jake still has a lot to learn, but we went slowly so he could look around him and get used to things like doors that open on their own and different types of floors, and I had no balance issues today at all.
I can not wait until I have properly trained dogs! (note the plural there)
Meg, Reilly ...and Jake
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Update
I now have a referral for Reilly for the state teaching vet school, but our appointment is not until December 14th. In the meantime my vet is refilling the anti-inflammatories and pain meds.
I also had a discussion with Doc Kim when she called me back about the referral. I gave her my opinion of the other vet. After thinking it over for a few days, I realized that what I didn't like was simply that her tone was accusatory and condescending. Doc Kim or Doc Julie would have perhaps questioned me about why I chose not to neuter at this young age, and after I explained, either would have asked me for a research source they could look up. Neither would have used that pompous tone. Doc Kim was unhappy, but at least we discovered that the person I saw was NOT her new hire, but rather a relief vet called in for the Thanksgiving break. Both of us were relieved to hear that. I have yet to meet her new hire, but I'll make a point of it soon.
In the meantime, Reilly is doing okay as long as he's on the meds. He avoids the steeper steps to the carport, as he loses his balance trying to come up those. Instead I bring him in the back door, where my husband has built half steps for me. I can't get up the carport steps either!
Since I'm not working Reilly right now, but have paid for his obedience class, I emailed and asked permission to substitute Jake for the few remaining classes, just to see how he'd do in such a situation. He was actually pretty awesome. I think I've misjudged his intelligence level! I wasn't going to start working with him until Reilly got a good start, but since Reilly can't work currently, I'll be spending more time working Jake. If I could end up with two working dogs from all of this, so that neither had to work all the time, but each got time off, and Murphy was never left alone...that would be just about perfect.
Anna, thanks for the well-wishes. I've been pretty swamped with work and doggies, and limited on my stamina due to meds, but the semester is nearly over, so you'll see me back in Rav soon! I'm glad someone missed me!
Meg and Reilly
I also had a discussion with Doc Kim when she called me back about the referral. I gave her my opinion of the other vet. After thinking it over for a few days, I realized that what I didn't like was simply that her tone was accusatory and condescending. Doc Kim or Doc Julie would have perhaps questioned me about why I chose not to neuter at this young age, and after I explained, either would have asked me for a research source they could look up. Neither would have used that pompous tone. Doc Kim was unhappy, but at least we discovered that the person I saw was NOT her new hire, but rather a relief vet called in for the Thanksgiving break. Both of us were relieved to hear that. I have yet to meet her new hire, but I'll make a point of it soon.
In the meantime, Reilly is doing okay as long as he's on the meds. He avoids the steeper steps to the carport, as he loses his balance trying to come up those. Instead I bring him in the back door, where my husband has built half steps for me. I can't get up the carport steps either!
Since I'm not working Reilly right now, but have paid for his obedience class, I emailed and asked permission to substitute Jake for the few remaining classes, just to see how he'd do in such a situation. He was actually pretty awesome. I think I've misjudged his intelligence level! I wasn't going to start working with him until Reilly got a good start, but since Reilly can't work currently, I'll be spending more time working Jake. If I could end up with two working dogs from all of this, so that neither had to work all the time, but each got time off, and Murphy was never left alone...that would be just about perfect.
Anna, thanks for the well-wishes. I've been pretty swamped with work and doggies, and limited on my stamina due to meds, but the semester is nearly over, so you'll see me back in Rav soon! I'm glad someone missed me!
Meg and Reilly
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Better night
The NSAIDS got Reilly a decent night's sleep last night. No crying, no moving from bed to bed trying to get comfortable. I'm pleased with that part, anyway.
Short and sweet this morning, but I thought I'd mention this much anyway.
Meg and Reilly
Short and sweet this morning, but I thought I'd mention this much anyway.
Meg and Reilly
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
And....grrrrrr
Sigh. I get a confirmation email from the "orthopedic specialists" in Cary. This is a surgical specialist clinic, not an orthopedic specialist, although orthopedic surgery is on their list. I don't need Reilly being evaluated by someone who is attuned to surgery. I want him evaluated by someone who is first going to decide exactly what's going on, then figure out what, if anything can be done for it, starting with least invasive. So, I'll be calling this vet back on Friday and telling her to switch my referral to the vet school after all, please. It'll be long day(s) for Reilly. Still, I took sheep there a few years ago, and had really good, thorough care for them.
And I think I'm going to hunt down another vet for routine care. I love Doc Kim, but she doesn't know enough about this breed. Doc Julie is more knowledgeable, but she's gone. And this new doc...blergh. So I need a doc that understands giant breeds. One of my students has a Dane pup, and she used to breed and show Danes sometime back. I'll find out who she uses. She's an hour away from me, but for a vet that understands the breed, it's well worth it.
However, I'm very glad I had them do the baseline xrays on Reilly some months back. Those will help. Hopefully the NSAIDS will help, too.
And we're back to square one until Friday.....
Meg and Reilly
And I think I'm going to hunt down another vet for routine care. I love Doc Kim, but she doesn't know enough about this breed. Doc Julie is more knowledgeable, but she's gone. And this new doc...blergh. So I need a doc that understands giant breeds. One of my students has a Dane pup, and she used to breed and show Danes sometime back. I'll find out who she uses. She's an hour away from me, but for a vet that understands the breed, it's well worth it.
However, I'm very glad I had them do the baseline xrays on Reilly some months back. Those will help. Hopefully the NSAIDS will help, too.
And we're back to square one until Friday.....
Meg and Reilly
Referral made
Went to see the vet this morning and saw the new person Doc Kim had hired to replace Doc Julie who got recalled into the military and deployed.
I was not impressed.
She stopped to pet Reilly in the waiting room, and asked why he wasn't neutered. I responded "Because he's not old enough." She replied with sarcastic humor, "There's testicles right there!" (At this point, since I had never met her, I'm thinking this is a new tech, or even a kennel girl.) I replied that mastiffs and other giant breeds shouldn't be neutered before they mature, as it increases their risk of osteosarcoma and bone issues throughout their life. She pasted on a smile and replied, condescendingly "Well, that's one way of looking at it."
Then she appeared wearing a lab coat with Dr. on it for our appointment. Great.
However, I did get a referral to an orthopedics specialist up in Cary. She gave me the choice between them and the vet school. I decided to go with the clinic rather than the teaching hospital simply because of time. Going through multiple students would be great if we lived closer. But we don't and it will make for extremely long days each time we go to do that. Rough on Reilly and rough on me.
The doc also gave me pain meds for Reilly, to hold us until we're seen up there. I have an appointment for next Wednesday.
This doc said Reilly had bad front legs, back legs, shoulders, hips and spine. I'm not sure how much credit to give her words since she's doesn't show much knowledge of giant breeds. Obviously his legs are off. Having legs twisted at odd angles should torque the rest of the body and be seen in other joints...without them actually being affected. I see this easily in my own physical issues. Full x-rays will tell us more. We'll get those at the ortho clinic.
So, wish us luck in getting Reilly fixed up. In the meantime, I am not asking him to work at all.
Meg and Reilly
I was not impressed.
She stopped to pet Reilly in the waiting room, and asked why he wasn't neutered. I responded "Because he's not old enough." She replied with sarcastic humor, "There's testicles right there!" (At this point, since I had never met her, I'm thinking this is a new tech, or even a kennel girl.) I replied that mastiffs and other giant breeds shouldn't be neutered before they mature, as it increases their risk of osteosarcoma and bone issues throughout their life. She pasted on a smile and replied, condescendingly "Well, that's one way of looking at it."
Then she appeared wearing a lab coat with Dr. on it for our appointment. Great.
However, I did get a referral to an orthopedics specialist up in Cary. She gave me the choice between them and the vet school. I decided to go with the clinic rather than the teaching hospital simply because of time. Going through multiple students would be great if we lived closer. But we don't and it will make for extremely long days each time we go to do that. Rough on Reilly and rough on me.
The doc also gave me pain meds for Reilly, to hold us until we're seen up there. I have an appointment for next Wednesday.
This doc said Reilly had bad front legs, back legs, shoulders, hips and spine. I'm not sure how much credit to give her words since she's doesn't show much knowledge of giant breeds. Obviously his legs are off. Having legs twisted at odd angles should torque the rest of the body and be seen in other joints...without them actually being affected. I see this easily in my own physical issues. Full x-rays will tell us more. We'll get those at the ortho clinic.
So, wish us luck in getting Reilly fixed up. In the meantime, I am not asking him to work at all.
Meg and Reilly
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Unhappy growth
Reilly's growth spurt has gotten even more painful, and he's wobbling so badly he's having trouble getting up the stairs. Three steps into the house. He even fell last night. We had to help him up the steps.
I have an appointment for another evaluation tomorrow morning at 8:00, and will be asking for a referral to either an orthopedic specialist or the teaching hospital in Raleigh. I'm glad we took the baseline xrays earlier. We'll see what can be done...what should be done, if anything. And do it, if it's doable. My poor puppydog.
Any mojo you can spare in Reilly's direction would be appreciated. I'll post when I know something.
Meg and Reilly
I have an appointment for another evaluation tomorrow morning at 8:00, and will be asking for a referral to either an orthopedic specialist or the teaching hospital in Raleigh. I'm glad we took the baseline xrays earlier. We'll see what can be done...what should be done, if anything. And do it, if it's doable. My poor puppydog.
Any mojo you can spare in Reilly's direction would be appreciated. I'll post when I know something.
Meg and Reilly
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Wow.
Over two weeks since I posted last. I've been overwhelmed with work, life, things. We're coming toward the end of the semester, with all the work that brings.
While all this is going on, Reilly is going through another growth spurt, bringing the inevitable growing pain with it. I had hoped there would be no more of these. He's suddenly taller than Murphy, and his back end is taller than Jake. Not his front end. He's grown faster in his back legs than his front. His back end is weak and wobbly, and he has a hard time getting comfortable, particularly at night. I didn't take him to class last week because of the pain, and I haven't been asking him to practice commands that involve a lot of up-and-down, as this is hard for him right now. Nor have I asked him to get in the car, so I haven't taken him to work, either. He doesn't need the walking, and there are no options for a bed there. At home he'll move from one of the orthopedic dog beds to the floor to the carpet in the computer room...he has choices of surface. At work he doesn't.
The last growth spurt took a couple weeks to get through. Hopefully this will not take longer. Jake went through a phase where his back end was taller, wobbly and weak, and he squared up nicely, so I remain positive that Reilly will as well.
Two more weeks of class, then finals week. I can not wait until this semester is over. I have had wonderful students this semester for which I'm grateful, but keeping up with my workload while on weird meds has not been fun. I'll be glad of the respite of winter break.
I doubt I'll write again before Thanksgiving, so those of you who celebrate...enjoy the day!
Meg and Reilly
While all this is going on, Reilly is going through another growth spurt, bringing the inevitable growing pain with it. I had hoped there would be no more of these. He's suddenly taller than Murphy, and his back end is taller than Jake. Not his front end. He's grown faster in his back legs than his front. His back end is weak and wobbly, and he has a hard time getting comfortable, particularly at night. I didn't take him to class last week because of the pain, and I haven't been asking him to practice commands that involve a lot of up-and-down, as this is hard for him right now. Nor have I asked him to get in the car, so I haven't taken him to work, either. He doesn't need the walking, and there are no options for a bed there. At home he'll move from one of the orthopedic dog beds to the floor to the carpet in the computer room...he has choices of surface. At work he doesn't.
The last growth spurt took a couple weeks to get through. Hopefully this will not take longer. Jake went through a phase where his back end was taller, wobbly and weak, and he squared up nicely, so I remain positive that Reilly will as well.
Two more weeks of class, then finals week. I can not wait until this semester is over. I have had wonderful students this semester for which I'm grateful, but keeping up with my workload while on weird meds has not been fun. I'll be glad of the respite of winter break.
I doubt I'll write again before Thanksgiving, so those of you who celebrate...enjoy the day!
Meg and Reilly
Friday, November 4, 2011
PICTURES!
A dear friend of mine happens to teach, among other things, a photography course. She had her students use Reilly and me as a subject for a photo shoot. I wish I were as photogenic as he is!
Enjoy!
Meg and Reilly
Enjoy!
Meg and Reilly
Saturday, October 29, 2011
First "real" day at work
Yesterday, Reilly went to work with me.
It was his first visit on a school day, although a non-teaching day for me. At this stage all I expect of him there is the socialization to a rather hectic environment. This is far more than going to a pet shop or a grocery store. Lots of people; lots of distractions. Getting him to remember the commands he's familiar with in such a busy place is enough of a chore for him right now.
He accompanied me to two meetings (in the department, with a maximum of four people) and a walk across campus to take his shot records to the disability office. He enjoyed the elevator, was interested in the fact that some doors open when I push a button, and was a bit confounded by the fact that his water bowl is currently being kept in the bathroom. He did a nice job of ignoring people in the hallways, although I'm making it a strong point not to take him out when classes are changing. He met several colleagues in the department, and allowed them to approach for petting. So far, he's doing everything I could ask of him at this point. I'm keeping contacts to a small limit, as he doesn't need to go on overload, either. I sent an email to the department the day before, outlining what his purpose is there, what they should expect of him behavior-wise, and what we expect of them. I told them they could participate in his training by simply ignoring his presence, but if they wished to meet him, they could, within my "rules of engagement". Out of 25 people in the department, and hundreds of students, I had seven request an introduction, and those were spaced out during the day. All but one person was very respectful of what was going on. One person, in a meeting, kept calling him to her "to see if he would". The first time, Reilly was in a down-stay, and broke it for her. I simply put him back in his down-stay. The second time, I told her to quit. Grrrrr.
Reilly and I spend the larger part of the day in my office, so I could get some grading and prep work done. He sat on the blanket I provided for him out of the way, then chose to do as he does at home and lie on my feet. I'll move the blanket next time. He won't fit there for long, so he might as well get the comfort of it while he can. I had several people come by my office for one thing or another, and Reilly simply slept through their visits. That's good. He didn't wake up until my last appointment of the day, which was at 2:15. Then he started getting a little antsy. I figured he wanted a drink, but he had to wait until my student left before we could go get one. I'll have to work on logistics and his sleep schedule a lot. If I have an appointment, I should wake him, water and potty him before the appointment, and not have those worries during. Even for a short, fifteen minute appointment, such as this was.
Problems from the day, aside from the irritating colleague (and I'm sure she simply misunderstood the guidelines for interaction, rather than was being intentionally irritating), were his reluctance to go potty where and when I wanted him to, his lack of continuous access to water, and my realization that I leave my office far more often than I thought!
Since his water is in the bathroom, I did combine my trips there with his watering trips, so didn't have to run back and forth so much. He didn't drink as much as he does at home, but I think it was more because he wanted to explore the bathroom than anything else. And his lowered water intake was part of the reason he didn't pee as often as asked. I'm sure both will change as he gets more comfortable there. My office is carpeted, which is one reason why I am reluctant to keep water in the office. He's not a big drooler, but he does have serious waterfall mouth when drinking. In the bathroom, I can towel off the floor (I brought a stack of doggy towels in) and wipe his mouth before we leave. The other problem with water in my office is that I can't carry a bowl of water that far. I can use a jug in my drink sling to bring it to the office, but dumping a bowl of drooled-in water to refresh it would be very difficult. I may try getting a plastic mat for a bowl, and two jugs plus a funnel, to see if I can pour dirty water into a second jug. I can carry jugs, and I can carry the empty bowl, as I knit carry bags with shoulder straps for such things. I would like him to be able to drink as he likes. If that doesn't work though, we'll stick to the bathroom. The disability office has informed me that if I can't deal with his water, they will assign someone to come give him fresh water several times a day. Likewise, if I can't clean up his poo, they will get that taken care of as well. And if I become unable to walk him and don't have a volunteer I trust, they will assign someone for that, too. I do not want to resort to any of these until I actually need them, but it's wonderfully nice to know they are there!
Once he seems as if he's adjusted to the new environment, I'll start taking him outside for command practice similar to what I do in the park now, on a long-line. That should be fun. The quad is plenty big, and most people stick to the sidewalks, so I'll have a larger space than at the park, actually. We hold graduations on the quad!
Also, once he gets used to it there, we'll start working on tasks that will be needed there...and elsewhere. The buttons for opening doors are something he can learn to use. And it's a great place to work on opening doors with a rope; there are all types of door handles for me to sort out how to attach a rope-and-hook to. And he can start on retrieving things I drop, too.
I do need a good chew toy for him there. I didn't think about that until we got there, so I snagged the toy I keep in the car, but he didn't want it. I need something he'll love, but that doesn't smell. The cow hooves smell, according to Chris. I'll have him check the bully stick. Reilly tried to swallow one end-on when we weren't home, and threw it up, so has not had one since. However, in my office he can't get more than five feet from me, so I can keep him from doing that again. He'll be able to enjoy them safely...if they don't smell. (I miss not being able to smell....)
A colleague who posts news on our department website took photos of Reilly and me so she can post an article outlining to students how they should react to Reilly. I'll snag one when she sends them to me and post it here.
Meg and Reilly
It was his first visit on a school day, although a non-teaching day for me. At this stage all I expect of him there is the socialization to a rather hectic environment. This is far more than going to a pet shop or a grocery store. Lots of people; lots of distractions. Getting him to remember the commands he's familiar with in such a busy place is enough of a chore for him right now.
He accompanied me to two meetings (in the department, with a maximum of four people) and a walk across campus to take his shot records to the disability office. He enjoyed the elevator, was interested in the fact that some doors open when I push a button, and was a bit confounded by the fact that his water bowl is currently being kept in the bathroom. He did a nice job of ignoring people in the hallways, although I'm making it a strong point not to take him out when classes are changing. He met several colleagues in the department, and allowed them to approach for petting. So far, he's doing everything I could ask of him at this point. I'm keeping contacts to a small limit, as he doesn't need to go on overload, either. I sent an email to the department the day before, outlining what his purpose is there, what they should expect of him behavior-wise, and what we expect of them. I told them they could participate in his training by simply ignoring his presence, but if they wished to meet him, they could, within my "rules of engagement". Out of 25 people in the department, and hundreds of students, I had seven request an introduction, and those were spaced out during the day. All but one person was very respectful of what was going on. One person, in a meeting, kept calling him to her "to see if he would". The first time, Reilly was in a down-stay, and broke it for her. I simply put him back in his down-stay. The second time, I told her to quit. Grrrrr.
Reilly and I spend the larger part of the day in my office, so I could get some grading and prep work done. He sat on the blanket I provided for him out of the way, then chose to do as he does at home and lie on my feet. I'll move the blanket next time. He won't fit there for long, so he might as well get the comfort of it while he can. I had several people come by my office for one thing or another, and Reilly simply slept through their visits. That's good. He didn't wake up until my last appointment of the day, which was at 2:15. Then he started getting a little antsy. I figured he wanted a drink, but he had to wait until my student left before we could go get one. I'll have to work on logistics and his sleep schedule a lot. If I have an appointment, I should wake him, water and potty him before the appointment, and not have those worries during. Even for a short, fifteen minute appointment, such as this was.
Problems from the day, aside from the irritating colleague (and I'm sure she simply misunderstood the guidelines for interaction, rather than was being intentionally irritating), were his reluctance to go potty where and when I wanted him to, his lack of continuous access to water, and my realization that I leave my office far more often than I thought!
Since his water is in the bathroom, I did combine my trips there with his watering trips, so didn't have to run back and forth so much. He didn't drink as much as he does at home, but I think it was more because he wanted to explore the bathroom than anything else. And his lowered water intake was part of the reason he didn't pee as often as asked. I'm sure both will change as he gets more comfortable there. My office is carpeted, which is one reason why I am reluctant to keep water in the office. He's not a big drooler, but he does have serious waterfall mouth when drinking. In the bathroom, I can towel off the floor (I brought a stack of doggy towels in) and wipe his mouth before we leave. The other problem with water in my office is that I can't carry a bowl of water that far. I can use a jug in my drink sling to bring it to the office, but dumping a bowl of drooled-in water to refresh it would be very difficult. I may try getting a plastic mat for a bowl, and two jugs plus a funnel, to see if I can pour dirty water into a second jug. I can carry jugs, and I can carry the empty bowl, as I knit carry bags with shoulder straps for such things. I would like him to be able to drink as he likes. If that doesn't work though, we'll stick to the bathroom. The disability office has informed me that if I can't deal with his water, they will assign someone to come give him fresh water several times a day. Likewise, if I can't clean up his poo, they will get that taken care of as well. And if I become unable to walk him and don't have a volunteer I trust, they will assign someone for that, too. I do not want to resort to any of these until I actually need them, but it's wonderfully nice to know they are there!
Once he seems as if he's adjusted to the new environment, I'll start taking him outside for command practice similar to what I do in the park now, on a long-line. That should be fun. The quad is plenty big, and most people stick to the sidewalks, so I'll have a larger space than at the park, actually. We hold graduations on the quad!
Also, once he gets used to it there, we'll start working on tasks that will be needed there...and elsewhere. The buttons for opening doors are something he can learn to use. And it's a great place to work on opening doors with a rope; there are all types of door handles for me to sort out how to attach a rope-and-hook to. And he can start on retrieving things I drop, too.
I do need a good chew toy for him there. I didn't think about that until we got there, so I snagged the toy I keep in the car, but he didn't want it. I need something he'll love, but that doesn't smell. The cow hooves smell, according to Chris. I'll have him check the bully stick. Reilly tried to swallow one end-on when we weren't home, and threw it up, so has not had one since. However, in my office he can't get more than five feet from me, so I can keep him from doing that again. He'll be able to enjoy them safely...if they don't smell. (I miss not being able to smell....)
A colleague who posts news on our department website took photos of Reilly and me so she can post an article outlining to students how they should react to Reilly. I'll snag one when she sends them to me and post it here.
Meg and Reilly
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
He's sooo smart!
I've been babysitting a friend's Lady Gouldian finches for a few days. She picked them up Saturday evening. She was also picking up a rocking chair I can no longer sit in. Once she got her things organized she went to turn her truck around and back up to the door to make loading easier. I had put the dogs out while the birds were being transferred to a transport cage, so I told her to hang on and let me get Reilly, as he's not the least bit car smart.
She was already outside, and I just leaned out the door to call Reilly. Margie did as most people do, and also called him. She was closer, had bent over and was making happy noises. He headed toward her. Then I said, "Reilly! Ignore her and Come!" and he swerved around her and came to me. He cut his eyes back toward her, as he was really wanting that promised petting, but he bypassed her. We were both impressed. He got a big doggie cookie for that one, and after she moved the truck he was let back out to get her petting. Win-win for Reilly!
Margie is also the Art professor who is going to take a photo of the two of us. In fact, she invited me to one of her photography classes as an assignment for her students. This'll be fun for us, good practice in a new situation for Reilly, and also fun for the students.
I wore my brace on Monday, and was getting accustomed to the new balance with it...and the damn thing quit working again. I'm about ready to throw it out the window, in the trash, under a train...I can not trust it. Grrrrrr.....maybe it would be a good teething toy for Reilly. I have another appointment with them on November 2. After that, I'm giving up.
Meg and Reilly
She was already outside, and I just leaned out the door to call Reilly. Margie did as most people do, and also called him. She was closer, had bent over and was making happy noises. He headed toward her. Then I said, "Reilly! Ignore her and Come!" and he swerved around her and came to me. He cut his eyes back toward her, as he was really wanting that promised petting, but he bypassed her. We were both impressed. He got a big doggie cookie for that one, and after she moved the truck he was let back out to get her petting. Win-win for Reilly!
Margie is also the Art professor who is going to take a photo of the two of us. In fact, she invited me to one of her photography classes as an assignment for her students. This'll be fun for us, good practice in a new situation for Reilly, and also fun for the students.
I wore my brace on Monday, and was getting accustomed to the new balance with it...and the damn thing quit working again. I'm about ready to throw it out the window, in the trash, under a train...I can not trust it. Grrrrrr.....maybe it would be a good teething toy for Reilly. I have another appointment with them on November 2. After that, I'm giving up.
Meg and Reilly
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Just thinking out loud...
I wanted to point out that I put a "Contact" tab up at the top, and made an email address just for Reilly, as so many people have told me they can't comment on this page. If you choose to email us, let me know if you mind if I put your comments in the blog or if you'd rather I didn't.
Also, I never came back and mentioned how I solved the treat bag issue. A belt pack did work fairly well. The best, though...a pullover hoodie with a pocket on the front. I could reach into that from either side, with either hand, and didn't have to unzip or open anything. It obviously won't work well for warm weather, but I'll devise something by then.
And....drum roll please....I think my leg brace is finally fixed! I was asked to attend an orthotics conference three hours from here yesterday. Since I have no classes on Friday this semester, I went. Of course the dang thing was working properly when I got there. But three of the big shots from the company, the wonderful woman who fits and works with my brace locally, Katrina, and her boss were all there to see what they could figure out. They came up with a plan to make another adjustment, in such a way that I can fine-tune it myself. And potentially there may be something in my stance that is part of it. But between fixing the mechanism and fixing my stance, I think it's going to be okay! That means that I can probably go back to using one stick all the time instead of two. I can only use one with Reilly anyway, so it would be easier for me not to have to switch back and forth, and still be stable (which I'm not on one stick right now.) Additionally, the CEO of the company told us about an research article done by Mayo on IBM people and when accessories for walking may need to become wheels. Katrina is going to look that article up for us. He said basically once you're less than 40% of "normal" then wheels may be a better option. Except for a small percentage of stubborn people like me, where the mental and emotional impact of being non-active may be worse than the alternatives.
So, I'll be getting used to wearing my brace, and seeing how my balance adjusts. I wore it home yesterday, and Reilly didn't even blink at the contraption. Yay, Reilly!
All for now...
Meg and Reilly
Also, I never came back and mentioned how I solved the treat bag issue. A belt pack did work fairly well. The best, though...a pullover hoodie with a pocket on the front. I could reach into that from either side, with either hand, and didn't have to unzip or open anything. It obviously won't work well for warm weather, but I'll devise something by then.
And....drum roll please....I think my leg brace is finally fixed! I was asked to attend an orthotics conference three hours from here yesterday. Since I have no classes on Friday this semester, I went. Of course the dang thing was working properly when I got there. But three of the big shots from the company, the wonderful woman who fits and works with my brace locally, Katrina, and her boss were all there to see what they could figure out. They came up with a plan to make another adjustment, in such a way that I can fine-tune it myself. And potentially there may be something in my stance that is part of it. But between fixing the mechanism and fixing my stance, I think it's going to be okay! That means that I can probably go back to using one stick all the time instead of two. I can only use one with Reilly anyway, so it would be easier for me not to have to switch back and forth, and still be stable (which I'm not on one stick right now.) Additionally, the CEO of the company told us about an research article done by Mayo on IBM people and when accessories for walking may need to become wheels. Katrina is going to look that article up for us. He said basically once you're less than 40% of "normal" then wheels may be a better option. Except for a small percentage of stubborn people like me, where the mental and emotional impact of being non-active may be worse than the alternatives.
So, I'll be getting used to wearing my brace, and seeing how my balance adjusts. I wore it home yesterday, and Reilly didn't even blink at the contraption. Yay, Reilly!
All for now...
Meg and Reilly
The Graduate!
Last Tuesday, Reilly graduated from the beginner obedience class. Yay, Reilly! They set up an obstacle course for all the doggies, and he did well at all the stations. I'm still planning on sending him back through this beginner course before we go on to the next one, as the next one here is the CGC. He would graduate with his CGC at 7 months old, which I think is too young. So, the beginner class will reinforce the things he's learned already, and I can continue to work on adapting some things to work/task related tasks. He does need more work on his attention to me, so I planned to redo the class for that alone. That should come with more time with him. Now that he's got some basic manners under his belt, I'll be trying him at work on my non-teaching days. He needs practice learning to let people come into his space instead of his puppy-self rushing towards people. I know at least one of my students is terrified of dogs. She overheard a conversation between me and another student about Reilly's training, and just the thought of a dog coming to class scared her. I assured her that he would not be coming to class this semester, and would be taught not to approach people but to allow people to approach him instead. She was relieved to hear that. It does remind me not to have him start coming to class in the middle of the semester. He'll need to start at the beginning of the semester, to allow students who don't want to be in a room with a dog to have time to switch sections. Or at least I need to announce it at the beginning of a semester that he may be coming in at some point during the semester. I am not allowed to have an announcement posted on the class lists, but I can post my own announcement on my Blackboard sites for students to access, and put a sign on my office door to that effect. He'll probably be able to to start coming full time by next fall semester, although he still won't be mature enough to start counterbalance work then. He should be opening doors and retrieving items for me, though. That will be lovely in itself, but the balance work will be wonderful!
The obedience class instructor fitted Reilly with a pinch collar last night, too. He's started pulling on our park walks. He was unhappy with the collar, but walked out to the car like a gentleman. We'll try it at the park Friday morning and see how he does. He's a smart pup; I'm betting one or two walks will make the point with him and we'll be able to give it up quickly. It's a training tool; not a life plan. I've never liked them and don't intend to use it long, but he must learn not to pull before it becomes a bad habit to break.
He's also finally figuring out how to get in the car by himself...mostly. He's been able to get his front end up there for some time. It's the back end that's been the problem. Jake went through the same thing. I've started grabbing a back foot and telling him "foot" just as I do when I want to wipe off wet feet. He picks it up, but now I'm placing it up on the car step. Then touch the other hind foot and do the same. He's lifting himself in, and is so tickled with himself! I got a good tail-smack in the face from it the other day...but it was well worth it!
We took him to the pet store Thursday evening, as we needed more food. I didn't use the pinch collar... and this is the first time he's gotten terribly excited while out and pulled me all over. Friday morning on our park walk I used the collar, and he walked by my side like a gentleman. Chris had taken Murphy, and he pulled Chris allover! We'll likely try a pinch collar on him, too. Jake has no need of one; he's a gentleman through and through.
I contacted the other members of a committee I'm on at work and asked if they had a problem with Reilly attending meetings (since they are invariably on my non-teaching days.) Since Reilly does have full access rights in this state I don't need to ask, but I think courtesy goes a long way. Not only do they not mind, they were quite pleased to be part of his training. I'm glad that everyone we've encountered so far has been positive about this. It'll make Reilly's training so much easier.
The first day or two he goes in we'll just work on office manners and what's expected of him there. Then we'll introduce door opening with the type of doors we have. I was thinking about him before class the other day, and realized that the classroom floors are awfully slick. That could make it difficult for him to get up, and be bad for his joints. I'll need to see about a rug with backing that we can put in the rooms I teach, so he has a safe...and more comfortable... place to lie down and get up from. I could carry a rug with me, but it would be easier to leave one in each room. I'll have to see about that.
Meg and Reilly
The obedience class instructor fitted Reilly with a pinch collar last night, too. He's started pulling on our park walks. He was unhappy with the collar, but walked out to the car like a gentleman. We'll try it at the park Friday morning and see how he does. He's a smart pup; I'm betting one or two walks will make the point with him and we'll be able to give it up quickly. It's a training tool; not a life plan. I've never liked them and don't intend to use it long, but he must learn not to pull before it becomes a bad habit to break.
He's also finally figuring out how to get in the car by himself...mostly. He's been able to get his front end up there for some time. It's the back end that's been the problem. Jake went through the same thing. I've started grabbing a back foot and telling him "foot" just as I do when I want to wipe off wet feet. He picks it up, but now I'm placing it up on the car step. Then touch the other hind foot and do the same. He's lifting himself in, and is so tickled with himself! I got a good tail-smack in the face from it the other day...but it was well worth it!
We took him to the pet store Thursday evening, as we needed more food. I didn't use the pinch collar... and this is the first time he's gotten terribly excited while out and pulled me all over. Friday morning on our park walk I used the collar, and he walked by my side like a gentleman. Chris had taken Murphy, and he pulled Chris allover! We'll likely try a pinch collar on him, too. Jake has no need of one; he's a gentleman through and through.
I contacted the other members of a committee I'm on at work and asked if they had a problem with Reilly attending meetings (since they are invariably on my non-teaching days.) Since Reilly does have full access rights in this state I don't need to ask, but I think courtesy goes a long way. Not only do they not mind, they were quite pleased to be part of his training. I'm glad that everyone we've encountered so far has been positive about this. It'll make Reilly's training so much easier.
The first day or two he goes in we'll just work on office manners and what's expected of him there. Then we'll introduce door opening with the type of doors we have. I was thinking about him before class the other day, and realized that the classroom floors are awfully slick. That could make it difficult for him to get up, and be bad for his joints. I'll need to see about a rug with backing that we can put in the rooms I teach, so he has a safe...and more comfortable... place to lie down and get up from. I could carry a rug with me, but it would be easier to leave one in each room. I'll have to see about that.
Meg and Reilly
Saturday, October 15, 2011
What he's learning
I realized I have not spoken about what he's learning to do for some time now. Aside for saying what problems are with his teenager bit lately. Some things he's good on at home and less good out amongst distractions, which is why the classes are important. And why we do some working in the park. But here's what we're working on so far, and how he's doing:
Sit...has been excellent until this week.
Down...finally got the idea a week ago. Is pretty good, although not 100% consistent yet.
Stay...about 80% consistent, including with me leaving his sight for a minute.
Loose -leash walking...he's starting to pull. I'll be testing a Martingale collar, and if need be, a pinch collar, to get him to stop, although we'd then have to wean off whichever collar we try. I will not use one permanently; they should be for training only.
Wait...I use this at the door to the house and in the car when I open the door, as well as any other time I want him to wait. Similar to Stay, but a bit more flexible. Stay means in the position he's placed in, where Wait means he can shift position, but not leave the spot. He's about 95% on this one. 100% in the car, and not quite as good in the house. Elsewhere, I encourage him to walk through doorways with me, as he'll need to do that consistently later on.
Come...Yesterday was the first time ever that he did not respond to this. Usually he comes running no matter what, but he sat in the park on a Sit/Stay, and when called ignored me. I had to go get him and enforce it. Silly teenager isms.
Not for you (leave it)...I can't stand "leave it". We use "Not for you" (shades of Hooch). Today I sat in a chair in front of him and dropped a handful of treats, while telling him Not for you. He didn't touch any of them, but let me pick them up one at a time, in front of him. Didn't even drool. A week ago I couldn't even have come close to that.
Watch me....just not happening, no matter what. Must work on it more.
Touch...Started with nose to palm touching. I'm expanding that to touching whatever the laser pointer is on. He's wanting to touch the hand with the pointer, but is getting better at recognizing what I want, as I'm getting better at holding that out of his sight. Maybe 30% on this, but we haven't been doing it long at all. It was planned, but I hadn't been able to pick up a laser until a week ago.
So, we're getting there. Still need to work, particularly on Watch Me. Another round through the beginners class won't hurt. He's going to be a big boy, and even if he doesn't work out for Service, he'll need excellent manners.
Meg and Reilly
Sit...has been excellent until this week.
Down...finally got the idea a week ago. Is pretty good, although not 100% consistent yet.
Stay...about 80% consistent, including with me leaving his sight for a minute.
Loose -leash walking...he's starting to pull. I'll be testing a Martingale collar, and if need be, a pinch collar, to get him to stop, although we'd then have to wean off whichever collar we try. I will not use one permanently; they should be for training only.
Wait...I use this at the door to the house and in the car when I open the door, as well as any other time I want him to wait. Similar to Stay, but a bit more flexible. Stay means in the position he's placed in, where Wait means he can shift position, but not leave the spot. He's about 95% on this one. 100% in the car, and not quite as good in the house. Elsewhere, I encourage him to walk through doorways with me, as he'll need to do that consistently later on.
Come...Yesterday was the first time ever that he did not respond to this. Usually he comes running no matter what, but he sat in the park on a Sit/Stay, and when called ignored me. I had to go get him and enforce it. Silly teenager isms.
Not for you (leave it)...I can't stand "leave it". We use "Not for you" (shades of Hooch). Today I sat in a chair in front of him and dropped a handful of treats, while telling him Not for you. He didn't touch any of them, but let me pick them up one at a time, in front of him. Didn't even drool. A week ago I couldn't even have come close to that.
Watch me....just not happening, no matter what. Must work on it more.
Touch...Started with nose to palm touching. I'm expanding that to touching whatever the laser pointer is on. He's wanting to touch the hand with the pointer, but is getting better at recognizing what I want, as I'm getting better at holding that out of his sight. Maybe 30% on this, but we haven't been doing it long at all. It was planned, but I hadn't been able to pick up a laser until a week ago.
So, we're getting there. Still need to work, particularly on Watch Me. Another round through the beginners class won't hurt. He's going to be a big boy, and even if he doesn't work out for Service, he'll need excellent manners.
Meg and Reilly
Friday, October 14, 2011
Guilt and pictures
I'm finding myself not posting because I feel guilty that I have no pictures. Taking pictures is hard for me to do. I need to enlist others for that. So I've decided that as of today I'm not feeling guilty, nor am I avoiding writing just because I don't always have pictures. It is what it is. I do have one or two today, as my sis visited me over part of fall break and took some this morning as we walked in the park.
So, what have I not said? We have one more day of puppy class. I had intended on having him go directly to the next class, which is the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class, but he's really not ready. I'm going to repeat the beginner class with him. Many things he does well; others not. He's weakest on focusing his attention on me, so we'll work on that more.
I asked if we could take the obedience competition classes, even though I can't compete. I've seen competitions; handlers have running and things to do...or so I thought. The instructor I asked told me I could compete. There are people with canes, walkers and wheelchairs doing competition obedience! So I'm going to look into doing that. That will help increase both Reilly's working understanding and my ability to help him learn. Certainly can't hurt! But first, he has to learn to look at me!
He's going through a beginning teenage stage starting this week, too. He's refusing to do the commands he had learned so well, like a basic sit. On the other hand, he's finally learned to "down" on command without a lure. And I can leave him on a sit-stay on a long-line at the park, and he'll stay while I walk circles around him. Teenage perversity!
He's finally sleeping through the night. And doing it mastiff style like the other Boys. When we humans get up, we head straight for the bathroom. When they get up, reluctantly and slowly, they want breakfast. I practically have to throw them out; particularly Murphy. Reilly has joined that crowd. I quit penning him in the mudroom at night now as he's not going to potty during the night. So now I have three mastiffs sleeping in my room. In my bed when Chris is gone. We still need a bigger bed.
We took Reilly in for a weight today at the vet. He stepped onto the scale like it was an everyday thing. Tipped the scales at 76.2 pounds. He's gaining about five pounds a week, more or less, but he's not fat at all.
I've also got him stepping into the bathtub on his own for his bath, which is very helpful. And he's getting his front end into the car by himself. I still have to help his back end up, but we're working on that too. Getting out is fun, as is getting off the bed. He's learned "otter" and slides off or out, so he has far less impact. In class they set up a 8" hurdle for them to jump. At Reilly's height, all he was going to do was step over it. Then they upped it to 16". Now, Reilly doesn't need to be jumping. He doesn't need the impact. However, I know my Reilly. He has absolutely no intention of jumping at this point in his life. That would take far more energy than he's willing to expend. So he made a good attempt at walking over the 16" hurdle, tripping over his big feet in the process. And the instructor sighed...and put him back at 8" so he didn't hurt himself. I watched the other pups jump, and cringed at the impact, but none of them are giant breeds. They're all small dogs or gun dogs. Different growth rates and stresses on those.
So, here are some of the pics that Linda took this morning (Thanks Sis!) Yeah, I'm still prednisone-plump. I'm working on it, okay?
He's getting big, isn't he? And more beautiful every day, even if he is being a bit of a teenager this week!
Meg and Reilly
So, what have I not said? We have one more day of puppy class. I had intended on having him go directly to the next class, which is the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class, but he's really not ready. I'm going to repeat the beginner class with him. Many things he does well; others not. He's weakest on focusing his attention on me, so we'll work on that more.
I asked if we could take the obedience competition classes, even though I can't compete. I've seen competitions; handlers have running and things to do...or so I thought. The instructor I asked told me I could compete. There are people with canes, walkers and wheelchairs doing competition obedience! So I'm going to look into doing that. That will help increase both Reilly's working understanding and my ability to help him learn. Certainly can't hurt! But first, he has to learn to look at me!
He's going through a beginning teenage stage starting this week, too. He's refusing to do the commands he had learned so well, like a basic sit. On the other hand, he's finally learned to "down" on command without a lure. And I can leave him on a sit-stay on a long-line at the park, and he'll stay while I walk circles around him. Teenage perversity!
He's finally sleeping through the night. And doing it mastiff style like the other Boys. When we humans get up, we head straight for the bathroom. When they get up, reluctantly and slowly, they want breakfast. I practically have to throw them out; particularly Murphy. Reilly has joined that crowd. I quit penning him in the mudroom at night now as he's not going to potty during the night. So now I have three mastiffs sleeping in my room. In my bed when Chris is gone. We still need a bigger bed.
We took Reilly in for a weight today at the vet. He stepped onto the scale like it was an everyday thing. Tipped the scales at 76.2 pounds. He's gaining about five pounds a week, more or less, but he's not fat at all.
I've also got him stepping into the bathtub on his own for his bath, which is very helpful. And he's getting his front end into the car by himself. I still have to help his back end up, but we're working on that too. Getting out is fun, as is getting off the bed. He's learned "otter" and slides off or out, so he has far less impact. In class they set up a 8" hurdle for them to jump. At Reilly's height, all he was going to do was step over it. Then they upped it to 16". Now, Reilly doesn't need to be jumping. He doesn't need the impact. However, I know my Reilly. He has absolutely no intention of jumping at this point in his life. That would take far more energy than he's willing to expend. So he made a good attempt at walking over the 16" hurdle, tripping over his big feet in the process. And the instructor sighed...and put him back at 8" so he didn't hurt himself. I watched the other pups jump, and cringed at the impact, but none of them are giant breeds. They're all small dogs or gun dogs. Different growth rates and stresses on those.
So, here are some of the pics that Linda took this morning (Thanks Sis!) Yeah, I'm still prednisone-plump. I'm working on it, okay?
He's getting big, isn't he? And more beautiful every day, even if he is being a bit of a teenager this week!
Meg and Reilly
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Long weekend at an end
My long weekend. I don't think Reilly really noticed. I gave an exam to three sections of lecture on Thursday, so had a lot of grading to do, on top of the grading for labs. And prep for this week coming. And clean my house, as company comes on Monday. And spend time with Reilly and work on commands. And get some specific shopping done...things I need for the dogs and for work.
So it's nearly ten pm on Sunday night. I've done most of what I needed to do. Reilly didn't get his bath, but it can wait until Wednesday. I've a few dishes left to do, but they are waiting until the morning, even though I'll be mad at myself in the morning for leaving them! I got lots of (expensive) stuffed cow hooves for The Boys. It seems to be the current favorite. The unstuffed ones are much cheaper, but they are the smaller more fragile hooves, and I want the big thick ones. I have to get a bunch of them so they don't argue over them. I've never had an argument over food in bowls or food handed from people, but chewing things can cause a ruckus. Reilly is trying to get bossy and demanding with the other dogs. Murphy will just give up whatever Reilly wants. He prefers them as toys, not chewies, so they aren't important to him. Jake, on the other hand, seriously loves his chewies. He doesn't like to share. He has always taken his to a different room to enjoy. Now Reilly gets bored with his, and wants to take Jake's...even though it's the exact same thing. And he barks at Jake. And growls. Jake growls back. Not good; this could escalate if we're not careful. We do separate Reilly when we leave, so they can't get in a conflict while we're gone.
As I typed that with Reilly at my feet under the table, Murphy went and got a hoof and brought it to Reilly. He put it in front of him, then sat back, ears pricked, to see if it was accepted. How interesting the doggies all are!
Reilly went to the park two days in a row this weekend. The first day he was great. Walked like a champ, listened to our short training sessions as we went, and was all-around a good pup. The next day...he wasn't. He pulled constantly, tried to go to everyone we passed, and wouldn't even listen to a basic command. He was like a totally different dog. I'm not sure what set him off, but I'll watch for weirdness each time we go from now on.
I'm sorry I don't have pictures. It's been an overloaded week for me, for sure. Despite company coming, I should have a bit more time for such things this week. I need pictures. Reilly is huge. He'll be five months old next week, and he's somewhere around 70 pounds. He's still not close to growing into his ears, tail and FEET, but he's developing beautiful flews and has the most wonderful face. Must. Get. Pictures.
Meg and Reilly
So it's nearly ten pm on Sunday night. I've done most of what I needed to do. Reilly didn't get his bath, but it can wait until Wednesday. I've a few dishes left to do, but they are waiting until the morning, even though I'll be mad at myself in the morning for leaving them! I got lots of (expensive) stuffed cow hooves for The Boys. It seems to be the current favorite. The unstuffed ones are much cheaper, but they are the smaller more fragile hooves, and I want the big thick ones. I have to get a bunch of them so they don't argue over them. I've never had an argument over food in bowls or food handed from people, but chewing things can cause a ruckus. Reilly is trying to get bossy and demanding with the other dogs. Murphy will just give up whatever Reilly wants. He prefers them as toys, not chewies, so they aren't important to him. Jake, on the other hand, seriously loves his chewies. He doesn't like to share. He has always taken his to a different room to enjoy. Now Reilly gets bored with his, and wants to take Jake's...even though it's the exact same thing. And he barks at Jake. And growls. Jake growls back. Not good; this could escalate if we're not careful. We do separate Reilly when we leave, so they can't get in a conflict while we're gone.
As I typed that with Reilly at my feet under the table, Murphy went and got a hoof and brought it to Reilly. He put it in front of him, then sat back, ears pricked, to see if it was accepted. How interesting the doggies all are!
Reilly went to the park two days in a row this weekend. The first day he was great. Walked like a champ, listened to our short training sessions as we went, and was all-around a good pup. The next day...he wasn't. He pulled constantly, tried to go to everyone we passed, and wouldn't even listen to a basic command. He was like a totally different dog. I'm not sure what set him off, but I'll watch for weirdness each time we go from now on.
I'm sorry I don't have pictures. It's been an overloaded week for me, for sure. Despite company coming, I should have a bit more time for such things this week. I need pictures. Reilly is huge. He'll be five months old next week, and he's somewhere around 70 pounds. He's still not close to growing into his ears, tail and FEET, but he's developing beautiful flews and has the most wonderful face. Must. Get. Pictures.
Meg and Reilly
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Trying new things
Chris went to Boone for the weekend to go to an Appalachian State University home football game with our son. So, a rare weekend night with him gone. His work often takes him out of town during the week, but not weekends. I took the opportunity to see how Reilly did loose during the night, rather than in his room. I wanted to see if he'd wake me up to go outside or not. So, he was loose, and I put down no paper.
He definitely woke me up. His way of doing that was to run whining into the bedroom, and leap. He can't jump all the way up onto the bed, as it's high. But his front end landed square on the spot where Chris sleeps. It's a good thing he wasn't there! Reilly was all happy that I understood he wanted out. I'll have a talk with Chris about switching sides of the bed temporarily and see if that works better. We can give it a shot next weekend and see, if he's agreeable. Hopefully it won't be too long before Reilly can hold it all night, but in the meantime, if he will wake me to go out it will mean less cleaning up in the morning.
I have been slack this week on puppy training. We've only done bits and pieces, instead of set sessions. Had too many appointments and long days, and have been prepping for a visit from my parents, who should be arriving in a couple hours. Got my brace repaired...again...and it quit working within hours of the repair...again. I've had the new KAFO brace for over a month, and have worn it maybe a couple days, total. A very expensive waste of money, and dangerous to boot. I'll be having a discussion with the neurologist about it at my next appointment. At any rate, puppy training is slower this week. He does whatever I ask, with the exception of the "down" command. He insists on food for that, and the hand going all the way to the ground. We do need to work on transitioning to him responding to the command only.
Later in the day...
I had intended to come write more, but with my parents here I haven't had much opportunity. I'll check in mid-week, if I can. I have three exams to write, so am not sure how much free time I'll have.
Meg and Reilly
He definitely woke me up. His way of doing that was to run whining into the bedroom, and leap. He can't jump all the way up onto the bed, as it's high. But his front end landed square on the spot where Chris sleeps. It's a good thing he wasn't there! Reilly was all happy that I understood he wanted out. I'll have a talk with Chris about switching sides of the bed temporarily and see if that works better. We can give it a shot next weekend and see, if he's agreeable. Hopefully it won't be too long before Reilly can hold it all night, but in the meantime, if he will wake me to go out it will mean less cleaning up in the morning.
I have been slack this week on puppy training. We've only done bits and pieces, instead of set sessions. Had too many appointments and long days, and have been prepping for a visit from my parents, who should be arriving in a couple hours. Got my brace repaired...again...and it quit working within hours of the repair...again. I've had the new KAFO brace for over a month, and have worn it maybe a couple days, total. A very expensive waste of money, and dangerous to boot. I'll be having a discussion with the neurologist about it at my next appointment. At any rate, puppy training is slower this week. He does whatever I ask, with the exception of the "down" command. He insists on food for that, and the hand going all the way to the ground. We do need to work on transitioning to him responding to the command only.
Later in the day...
I had intended to come write more, but with my parents here I haven't had much opportunity. I'll check in mid-week, if I can. I have three exams to write, so am not sure how much free time I'll have.
Meg and Reilly
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Second puppy class
Wednesday:
Thought I'd pop in with just a few words about the puppy class last night. Reilly and I barely made it in time, but managed to mention to the instructor that we didn't want Reilly getting treats from other people. She was much more accommodating than I expected, although she did remind me that she could not then demonstrate technique to me using him, or help me work out another method on things. That will be the price I have to pay, but it's worth it to me.
The instructor was also much milder last night than she was the night. I'm surprised I found her so, as I'd been dealing with a killer headache all day...the lovely kind that makes you want to scream when you move your eyes. I had let each of my classes out early, as scanning the class and going back and forth to computer and them was turning me into a shaky mess. So I wasn't looking forward to puppy class. I was pleasantly surprised, and even more surprised to find my headache decreasing over the course of the hour. But I did notice that the instructor was asking people to borrow their dogs for demos instead of just taking them, and using the owner treats instead of her own. So a huge improvement. And she was calmer, too. So last week may have just been a tense week for everyone, and not indicative of "normal".
Reilly did fairly well last night, although he was tired and it showed. I didn't do as well as he did, especially early on while the head was still pounding. I was missing cues and forgetting to give commands when I should. Dreadful. My concentration was totally shot. But Reilly did his part as well as he could around my stupidity. Review on sit, down, come, spin (spin is the one we didn't practice), and loose leash walking. Begin "stay" and "touch". "Touch" is simply getting them to put nose to your palm. It's listed as a trick, but it looks like a good precursor to getting him to do other things. He picked up on that one really quickly.
I did have some serious logistics issues during class. I have to leave one crutch in the car to handle the leash. So I have a crutch in my right hand and a leash in my left, and I have to be careful of my balance, which is difficult with a puppy on a string! Someone who doesn't have a crutch normally uses both hands on the leash, so they can reel in and let it out easily. I have to slowly wrap the leash around my hand to pull in. It's not a quick thing. And then there's the treat bag. Many people in class are using a tool bag such as is found at Lowe's. Those are flat though, and I'd need two hands to get into one. I bought a commercial treat bag that has a round opening, so I can get one hand in without needing the second one, but it falls off, swings, dumps itself when I bend over...all sorts of issues. I can't use my pocket, as I can't easily get my hand in it. So I need to come up with something I can get into and that's stable. Maybe a cheap belt pack would work, although it would be likely to spill when I bent over. I'll keep thinking on it.
The problems will all work out; they usually do.
Reilly has a vet appointment in an hour. We'll see how much he weighs now, and get some feedback on how his ever-changing legs are doing.
Thursday:
Reilly weighed in at 63.4 pounds. Big puppy. He's nowhere near grown into his tail, ears and feet. I also took Jake in to be weighed, as he's gained since he got neutered and I have to watch his heartworm preventative dosage. He tipped the scales at 122.8.
Reilly got his last Bordatella. He also got his legs looked at. His front legs have gone from the twisted out to stand on the outside of his feet, to twisted in to stand on the inside, to nearly square at the moment. His hind legs were so cow-hocked as to nearly have his feet at 90 degree angles to his body. Right now, although he's still cow-hocked, it's not as bad. He changes almost on a weekly basis. Since he's gaining about five pounds per week, it's not surprising. We'll be watching, but we're expecting it all to settle out to normal by the time he's grown. In the meantime, I'm careful with him; not letting him jump off furniture or out of the car. He's been taught to get on his belly and slide off like an otter. Since he's big, it's not far to the ground that way.
See you Saturday.
Meg and Reilly
Thought I'd pop in with just a few words about the puppy class last night. Reilly and I barely made it in time, but managed to mention to the instructor that we didn't want Reilly getting treats from other people. She was much more accommodating than I expected, although she did remind me that she could not then demonstrate technique to me using him, or help me work out another method on things. That will be the price I have to pay, but it's worth it to me.
The instructor was also much milder last night than she was the night. I'm surprised I found her so, as I'd been dealing with a killer headache all day...the lovely kind that makes you want to scream when you move your eyes. I had let each of my classes out early, as scanning the class and going back and forth to computer and them was turning me into a shaky mess. So I wasn't looking forward to puppy class. I was pleasantly surprised, and even more surprised to find my headache decreasing over the course of the hour. But I did notice that the instructor was asking people to borrow their dogs for demos instead of just taking them, and using the owner treats instead of her own. So a huge improvement. And she was calmer, too. So last week may have just been a tense week for everyone, and not indicative of "normal".
Reilly did fairly well last night, although he was tired and it showed. I didn't do as well as he did, especially early on while the head was still pounding. I was missing cues and forgetting to give commands when I should. Dreadful. My concentration was totally shot. But Reilly did his part as well as he could around my stupidity. Review on sit, down, come, spin (spin is the one we didn't practice), and loose leash walking. Begin "stay" and "touch". "Touch" is simply getting them to put nose to your palm. It's listed as a trick, but it looks like a good precursor to getting him to do other things. He picked up on that one really quickly.
I did have some serious logistics issues during class. I have to leave one crutch in the car to handle the leash. So I have a crutch in my right hand and a leash in my left, and I have to be careful of my balance, which is difficult with a puppy on a string! Someone who doesn't have a crutch normally uses both hands on the leash, so they can reel in and let it out easily. I have to slowly wrap the leash around my hand to pull in. It's not a quick thing. And then there's the treat bag. Many people in class are using a tool bag such as is found at Lowe's. Those are flat though, and I'd need two hands to get into one. I bought a commercial treat bag that has a round opening, so I can get one hand in without needing the second one, but it falls off, swings, dumps itself when I bend over...all sorts of issues. I can't use my pocket, as I can't easily get my hand in it. So I need to come up with something I can get into and that's stable. Maybe a cheap belt pack would work, although it would be likely to spill when I bent over. I'll keep thinking on it.
The problems will all work out; they usually do.
Reilly has a vet appointment in an hour. We'll see how much he weighs now, and get some feedback on how his ever-changing legs are doing.
Thursday:
Reilly weighed in at 63.4 pounds. Big puppy. He's nowhere near grown into his tail, ears and feet. I also took Jake in to be weighed, as he's gained since he got neutered and I have to watch his heartworm preventative dosage. He tipped the scales at 122.8.
Reilly got his last Bordatella. He also got his legs looked at. His front legs have gone from the twisted out to stand on the outside of his feet, to twisted in to stand on the inside, to nearly square at the moment. His hind legs were so cow-hocked as to nearly have his feet at 90 degree angles to his body. Right now, although he's still cow-hocked, it's not as bad. He changes almost on a weekly basis. Since he's gaining about five pounds per week, it's not surprising. We'll be watching, but we're expecting it all to settle out to normal by the time he's grown. In the meantime, I'm careful with him; not letting him jump off furniture or out of the car. He's been taught to get on his belly and slide off like an otter. Since he's big, it's not far to the ground that way.
See you Saturday.
Meg and Reilly
Sunday, September 18, 2011
School Days, School Days....
Reilly went to his first class on Tuesday. It's interesting. Many aspects of the class I really like, but others I don't. The trainer is loud and abrasive. She reached for Reilly and he shied away, which is a first for him. I was petting him as I talked to her, and when she reached and he shied, she then told me I had just reinforced his poor behavior by petting him when he reacted to her. She apparently did not notice that I had been petting him before as well as during her grabbing at him. What I failed to do was stop her. She also took him from me for a "demo" three times during the class. The first time took me by surprise, and I let it ride simply because of that. The other times...well, I just didn't want to make a scene in class. But I will speak to her before the class this week and tell her she is not to take Reilly as a demo. I know it's easy to use him because he is big, so it's easy for everyone to see what he's doing. But he should not be getting treats from anyone other than me, or Chris to a lesser extent. And he does not need to respond to commands from anyone but me...and again, to a lesser extent, Chris. He's not a pet, he's a working companion. Or will be.
On the other hand, getting him to work for me with all those other pups around is going to be an invaluable experience. And having the experience of being around people with more expansive personality types will be good, too.
We worked on things Reilly is already familiar with, such as "sit". We also did "down", which although not completely new to Reilly is not something I've done much of. He did well. I will need to teach him a second way to "down", but one at a time. It's easiest for them to come down from a sitting postion, but that puts the front of their body too far forward in a working situation. He'll need to learn to put his front end down first, as in the play bow, and then lower his back end, to keep him in a working position. Another was simply getting him to look at me. "Watch Me". "Come" was on the list, too. This was simply walking them on a leash, then stopping and walking backwards while calling them. Reilly can easily be left in a "stay" while I walk away from him for a good 20 feet, then come when called. It'll be interesting to see how he does with that when we're in a group. The distractions are bigger there. She also had us work on a "trick": spinning the pup in a circle, as if he's chasing his tail. I have not been practicing that one, as I see no value in it for us. This week, shaking hands is on the list as a trick. I do not want a dog to shake hands. Never have and never will. However, I will want him to learn to use his feet for tasks such as hitting the button to open a handicap door, or a light switch. So, instead of "shake", I'll be teaching him to hit my upright palm, like a "high five". I should then be able to transfer that command to the buttons. I was going to use the command "target" for that, but Chris really wants me to use "high five", which is funny. Reilly won't care one way or another, so I'll probably humor my husband. I'll pick up a laser and start using it to direct where the high five goes, so he can learn to hit the button. After the experience at the elevator, I'm betting that when he sees that pushing a button causes a reaction he's going to enjoy it!
Regardless, we have been doing our homework this week, with the exception of the "spin". I'm very pleased to say that Reilly has even demonstrated that he knows to rise from a "down" into a "sit" when told. That's a hard one to learn.
Oh! The other really valuable thing we're doing is teaching them to ignore food that's not in a bowl or offered. That's really good....because using all these treats in class has turned my sweet puppy into a begger. Instead of walking nicely beside me, he's crowding me, and getting in front of me trying to get treats, after just one session of constantly getting treated! Hopefully, working with him on ignoring food will help get this out of him. I don't use many treats at home, other than as initiating lures, but we're expected to use lots and lots of treats in class.
Today is Sunday, and we did make it to the park today. We haven't been going regularly, in part due to the side effects I'm dealing with from the prednisone. But we went today. Reilly did a lot of crowding me while I walked, and a good bit of pulling; mostly to get to people he wanted to see. I had to use some distractions to get him past people, and multiple reverses to stop the pulling. However, he did his sitting and downing at the park too, so the distractions didn't totally do him in.
Meg and Reilly
On the other hand, getting him to work for me with all those other pups around is going to be an invaluable experience. And having the experience of being around people with more expansive personality types will be good, too.
We worked on things Reilly is already familiar with, such as "sit". We also did "down", which although not completely new to Reilly is not something I've done much of. He did well. I will need to teach him a second way to "down", but one at a time. It's easiest for them to come down from a sitting postion, but that puts the front of their body too far forward in a working situation. He'll need to learn to put his front end down first, as in the play bow, and then lower his back end, to keep him in a working position. Another was simply getting him to look at me. "Watch Me". "Come" was on the list, too. This was simply walking them on a leash, then stopping and walking backwards while calling them. Reilly can easily be left in a "stay" while I walk away from him for a good 20 feet, then come when called. It'll be interesting to see how he does with that when we're in a group. The distractions are bigger there. She also had us work on a "trick": spinning the pup in a circle, as if he's chasing his tail. I have not been practicing that one, as I see no value in it for us. This week, shaking hands is on the list as a trick. I do not want a dog to shake hands. Never have and never will. However, I will want him to learn to use his feet for tasks such as hitting the button to open a handicap door, or a light switch. So, instead of "shake", I'll be teaching him to hit my upright palm, like a "high five". I should then be able to transfer that command to the buttons. I was going to use the command "target" for that, but Chris really wants me to use "high five", which is funny. Reilly won't care one way or another, so I'll probably humor my husband. I'll pick up a laser and start using it to direct where the high five goes, so he can learn to hit the button. After the experience at the elevator, I'm betting that when he sees that pushing a button causes a reaction he's going to enjoy it!
Regardless, we have been doing our homework this week, with the exception of the "spin". I'm very pleased to say that Reilly has even demonstrated that he knows to rise from a "down" into a "sit" when told. That's a hard one to learn.
Oh! The other really valuable thing we're doing is teaching them to ignore food that's not in a bowl or offered. That's really good....because using all these treats in class has turned my sweet puppy into a begger. Instead of walking nicely beside me, he's crowding me, and getting in front of me trying to get treats, after just one session of constantly getting treated! Hopefully, working with him on ignoring food will help get this out of him. I don't use many treats at home, other than as initiating lures, but we're expected to use lots and lots of treats in class.
Today is Sunday, and we did make it to the park today. We haven't been going regularly, in part due to the side effects I'm dealing with from the prednisone. But we went today. Reilly did a lot of crowding me while I walked, and a good bit of pulling; mostly to get to people he wanted to see. I had to use some distractions to get him past people, and multiple reverses to stop the pulling. However, he did his sitting and downing at the park too, so the distractions didn't totally do him in.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Reilly goes to work
Well, sorta. I forgot to bring my portable hard drive home on Thursday, and needed it for things I'm doing at home. Since the office is closed up on the weekend I figured it was the perfect time to introduce Reilly to work, elevator and all. Chris opted to go with us and take pictures again!
The parking is right in front of my building, which is helpful. It's a 35-40 minute drive, so I pulled Reilly over onto the grass and told him to go potty...and he did. It looks like he's gotten the idea of going when told to pretty well. Then we went to the main door of the building. I didn't realize that there's no keyholes on that set of doors! We backtracked and went to the side door that my key always sticks in. this time was no different. Reilly was patient while I got it worked out. A colleague was there, also picking things up. He was fascinated by Reilly and kept saying how beautiful he was. (Good taste there!)
We walked down the hall toward the elevator, with Reilly walking on a loose leash like it was a completely familiar place. When I pushed the elevator button, his ears pricked at the sounds coming from the "wall." Then the door opened, and he walked right in, wanting to explore. He sat for the ride, and was just as interested in exploring through the door when it opened on my floor. We went down to my office, and he checked things out there while I dropped off and picked up. Chris suggested a stroll around the hallways, which we did. And he was relaxed enough that he started wanting to play with the leash.
When we went outside, there was a train going by. The track runs right in front of our building, so the car was parked right next to the track. Reilly hasn't shown a problem with loud noises, and was interested in the train, so we headed toward the car. I wouldn't have done so had the train just been starting by, as they blow the whistle a lot when they're coming through. But the front of the train was well past, so a whistle wasn't going to surprise us. The end of the train went past as we crossed the parking lot. We decided to drop my pack in the car and walk about campus in the hopes that a squirrel would be out and about so we could see Reilly's reaction to one. No squirrels out, but Reilly did appear to want to join a couple of students who were having an animated conversation. I had to give his leash a tug to regain his attention. That was the only time we were out today that I had to redirect him at all. I think he may need to go more places with people exposure, so he gets past wanting to play with everyone. Puppy school will help with that.
Speaking of puppy school, last week's class was interesting. I got there a bit early and took a seat in a chair against the wall, so I could lean my sticks on it. I pulled out my knitting and people-watched until it started. People trying to one-up each other on jobs and degrees earned and dogs and all kinds of things. It was rather funny to observe.
The session was an orientation, with check-in, vaccination check, payment, and then some guidelines, rules for arrival with dogs next time, and some tips to use in the meantime. It was emphasized that this is a beginner class, not a puppy-only class, so there would be dogs of all ages. It's not a socialization class, but one where the dogs learn to work even with distractions present. Exactly what Reilly needs. In fact, I think I'll be taking Jake to the next one, since they allow adults. If Reilly's legs don't straighten up properly, then I may try working with Jake and seeing if we can overcome his door phobia. Murphy would still have a companion in Reilly. Not my preferred plan, but you should always have a back-up.
So...pictures. Yes, Chris took one of Reilly peeing on command! I included it because it shows what his hind legs are now doing. They were pretty straight when it was just his front legs acting up. Now he's all cow-hocked. We'll keep watching. He's got a lot of growing to do before his growth plates close up. Also, just to state that I would never allow pictures of me looking like this to be posted if it weren't for Reilly. Those that know me in real life...yes, I've gained nearly thirty pounds while on the prenisone. Ugh.
Here he is, waiting for the elevator door to open back up.
Checking out my leather bookbag in my office:
And noticing the train when we came out of the building:
Meg and Reilly
The parking is right in front of my building, which is helpful. It's a 35-40 minute drive, so I pulled Reilly over onto the grass and told him to go potty...and he did. It looks like he's gotten the idea of going when told to pretty well. Then we went to the main door of the building. I didn't realize that there's no keyholes on that set of doors! We backtracked and went to the side door that my key always sticks in. this time was no different. Reilly was patient while I got it worked out. A colleague was there, also picking things up. He was fascinated by Reilly and kept saying how beautiful he was. (Good taste there!)
We walked down the hall toward the elevator, with Reilly walking on a loose leash like it was a completely familiar place. When I pushed the elevator button, his ears pricked at the sounds coming from the "wall." Then the door opened, and he walked right in, wanting to explore. He sat for the ride, and was just as interested in exploring through the door when it opened on my floor. We went down to my office, and he checked things out there while I dropped off and picked up. Chris suggested a stroll around the hallways, which we did. And he was relaxed enough that he started wanting to play with the leash.
When we went outside, there was a train going by. The track runs right in front of our building, so the car was parked right next to the track. Reilly hasn't shown a problem with loud noises, and was interested in the train, so we headed toward the car. I wouldn't have done so had the train just been starting by, as they blow the whistle a lot when they're coming through. But the front of the train was well past, so a whistle wasn't going to surprise us. The end of the train went past as we crossed the parking lot. We decided to drop my pack in the car and walk about campus in the hopes that a squirrel would be out and about so we could see Reilly's reaction to one. No squirrels out, but Reilly did appear to want to join a couple of students who were having an animated conversation. I had to give his leash a tug to regain his attention. That was the only time we were out today that I had to redirect him at all. I think he may need to go more places with people exposure, so he gets past wanting to play with everyone. Puppy school will help with that.
Speaking of puppy school, last week's class was interesting. I got there a bit early and took a seat in a chair against the wall, so I could lean my sticks on it. I pulled out my knitting and people-watched until it started. People trying to one-up each other on jobs and degrees earned and dogs and all kinds of things. It was rather funny to observe.
The session was an orientation, with check-in, vaccination check, payment, and then some guidelines, rules for arrival with dogs next time, and some tips to use in the meantime. It was emphasized that this is a beginner class, not a puppy-only class, so there would be dogs of all ages. It's not a socialization class, but one where the dogs learn to work even with distractions present. Exactly what Reilly needs. In fact, I think I'll be taking Jake to the next one, since they allow adults. If Reilly's legs don't straighten up properly, then I may try working with Jake and seeing if we can overcome his door phobia. Murphy would still have a companion in Reilly. Not my preferred plan, but you should always have a back-up.
So...pictures. Yes, Chris took one of Reilly peeing on command! I included it because it shows what his hind legs are now doing. They were pretty straight when it was just his front legs acting up. Now he's all cow-hocked. We'll keep watching. He's got a lot of growing to do before his growth plates close up. Also, just to state that I would never allow pictures of me looking like this to be posted if it weren't for Reilly. Those that know me in real life...yes, I've gained nearly thirty pounds while on the prenisone. Ugh.
Here he is, waiting for the elevator door to open back up.
Checking out my leather bookbag in my office:
And noticing the train when we came out of the building:
Meg and Reilly
Monday, September 5, 2011
Pet shop day
We took Reilly with us to the pet shop today to get a new collar. (Not Petsmart, but a locally owned shop called Naturally Unleashed.) He's got maybe two inches to go on the one he has now, but it won't last long. Might as well indulge in a new one before he starts school. School clothes! Yeah! This is the first time Chris has gone out with us, so I handed him the camera. While I was perusing collars, Reilly varied from being good as gold...
to inspecting some rope toys nearby. Then trying to get one.
Not appropriate behavior, but not bad for a four-month-old puppy, either. Actually, it's the most he's ever gotten into in a store, so he's doing well. He stopped when I told him to. And pouted.
However, on the way in a free-running boxer met us at the door. He tried to get past Chris, who caught him. He wasn't actually trying to escape, but was trying to get to Reilly. The shop girl caught him up and put him behind the counter. She said he liked big dogs, and he seemed friendly, so it appeared to be a potentially good time to see how Reilly did meeting a completely strange dog in a non-household situation. While the dog was behind a barrier and being held, Reilly was allowed to approach. They greeted each other, with Reilly's tail all happy. Then I called Reilly away. He came, and did not look back! FTW! He made no attempt to stay, to return, or even give an indication that he knew the other dog was there. When we had chosen his collar and grabbed a bag of feed and went to checkout, Reilly ignored the boxer. I'm very pleased with how he handled it.
Another thing he's handled well today was the start of dove season. Our little farm is surrounded by cropland that was planted to corn this year, so the doves are everywhere. So are the hunters. And the noise of shotguns going off fairly close by. Chris was one of them. Murphy is terrified of loud noises. Jake is pretty much indifferent, but allows himself to be convinced by Murphy that he shouldn't go outside. Not a bad thing, with so many shotguns around. But I wanted to see Reilly's reaction. He's heard fireworks from a distance, and .22 from a hundred yards with a building in between, but shotguns are loud. And people were firing multiple times in a row. Murphy was trying to convince me to let him in my lap. Jake was trying to convince me that the situation called for treats. Reilly? Well, at first he went to the door wanting to go investigate. After a while, he didn't even bother to lift his head. And when he was outside to go potty and guns went off, he ignored them completely. Another win!
I think I'll go back to the pet shop and buy that rope toy he was so interested in.....
Meg and Reilly
Not appropriate behavior, but not bad for a four-month-old puppy, either. Actually, it's the most he's ever gotten into in a store, so he's doing well. He stopped when I told him to. And pouted.
However, on the way in a free-running boxer met us at the door. He tried to get past Chris, who caught him. He wasn't actually trying to escape, but was trying to get to Reilly. The shop girl caught him up and put him behind the counter. She said he liked big dogs, and he seemed friendly, so it appeared to be a potentially good time to see how Reilly did meeting a completely strange dog in a non-household situation. While the dog was behind a barrier and being held, Reilly was allowed to approach. They greeted each other, with Reilly's tail all happy. Then I called Reilly away. He came, and did not look back! FTW! He made no attempt to stay, to return, or even give an indication that he knew the other dog was there. When we had chosen his collar and grabbed a bag of feed and went to checkout, Reilly ignored the boxer. I'm very pleased with how he handled it.
Another thing he's handled well today was the start of dove season. Our little farm is surrounded by cropland that was planted to corn this year, so the doves are everywhere. So are the hunters. And the noise of shotguns going off fairly close by. Chris was one of them. Murphy is terrified of loud noises. Jake is pretty much indifferent, but allows himself to be convinced by Murphy that he shouldn't go outside. Not a bad thing, with so many shotguns around. But I wanted to see Reilly's reaction. He's heard fireworks from a distance, and .22 from a hundred yards with a building in between, but shotguns are loud. And people were firing multiple times in a row. Murphy was trying to convince me to let him in my lap. Jake was trying to convince me that the situation called for treats. Reilly? Well, at first he went to the door wanting to go investigate. After a while, he didn't even bother to lift his head. And when he was outside to go potty and guns went off, he ignored them completely. Another win!
I think I'll go back to the pet shop and buy that rope toy he was so interested in.....
Meg and Reilly
Sunday, September 4, 2011
By Jove, I think he's got it!
I think the potty training has finally clicked in Reilly's head. He's had no accidents indoors except on paper when we're gone or at night. He's asking to go out consistently now. And when headed back indoors after being out a while, he'll stop to pee before he goes in, which takes some thinking ahead.
I do have to watch him chewing. He'll just absently gnaw on things, including my Louet Victoria spinning wheel! I don't think he even realizes he's doing it; it's an absent-minded thing. I just have to keep an eye on him and replace whatever he's mouthing with something more appropriate. Another thing he'll outgrow.
Speaking of outgrowing, his front legs are still looking good, and his hind legs are giving him the growing pains that he experienced earlier with the front. He just occasionally cries, or obviously can't get comfortable. It's not continuous though; intermittent only. Makes it hard to decide to give him something for it. There's no sense in medicating him continuously. It will only make him build resistance to painkillers. And the episodes of discomfort seem to be fairly short. Or else he's pretty stoic, which is also possible. At this point it's wait and watch all over again.
He had a vet visit on Thursday last. Weighed in at 48.6 pounds, had his legs looked over and a dietary discussion. Since the vet who had been looking at him (Doc Julie) got recalled into the military and deployed, we saw our regular vet, Doc Kim. She's been having some discussions with a Great Dane breeder about the growth issues in giant breeds. After some time of breeding/feeding puppies, this breeder has come to the reluctant conclusion that the better quality dog foods are actually a detriment to raising giant breed puppies. Since their growth needs to be slowed, but still remain even, it's this breeder's opinion that giant breed puppies will grow better on poorer quality feeds...even something as pathetic as Ole Roy. Although I can see his point, and certainly understand his reluctance to reach that conclusion, my insides twist at feeding something like that to a dog I love. We have decided to do a compromise of sorts, though. When Reilly is confined to his room while we're gone, he'll only have access to a regular commercial dog food...Pedigree large breed. It's actually what Murphy and Jake got before Murph developed some food issues. They won't eat out of Reilly's bowl, so I don't have to worry about Murph eating it. Reilly will eat out of their bowls though, so he is eating the grain-free food when we're home. So his diet is split, with half the grocery store feed and half the better quality grain-free feed. We'll see what, if anything, that does for him.
We start puppy school this Tuesday. I do, anyway. Reilly doesn't get to go the first day. Just me. I have to learn the rules, get his shot records checked, and all that stuff.
In the meantime, Reilly is excellent sitting on command. He knows "come" well, too. (I did try to convert to here but failed miserably.) He also knows "wait", and is fairly strong with it as well. We've been working on "down" lately. He knows what I want, but doesn't do it unless my hand goes down and has a treat in it. We'll keep working on it. The class will be covering the same commands, but he'll be learning to do them while there are all sorts of distractions around him. Other puppies. Other people. Other people talking to their puppies. Huge distractions. He's good at leaving things to come to me at home, but these will be new distractions, so will be really good for him to be exposed to.
I've misplaced my camera again. I need to find that thing and hang it around my neck and leave it there. You really need to see Reilly's feet. They're bigger than Murphy's, and maybe even Jake's. If he grows into his feet and ears he's going to be huge. He's also starting to develop flews...hanging lips. We'll see how hangy-faced he gets to be.
Meg and Reilly
I do have to watch him chewing. He'll just absently gnaw on things, including my Louet Victoria spinning wheel! I don't think he even realizes he's doing it; it's an absent-minded thing. I just have to keep an eye on him and replace whatever he's mouthing with something more appropriate. Another thing he'll outgrow.
Speaking of outgrowing, his front legs are still looking good, and his hind legs are giving him the growing pains that he experienced earlier with the front. He just occasionally cries, or obviously can't get comfortable. It's not continuous though; intermittent only. Makes it hard to decide to give him something for it. There's no sense in medicating him continuously. It will only make him build resistance to painkillers. And the episodes of discomfort seem to be fairly short. Or else he's pretty stoic, which is also possible. At this point it's wait and watch all over again.
He had a vet visit on Thursday last. Weighed in at 48.6 pounds, had his legs looked over and a dietary discussion. Since the vet who had been looking at him (Doc Julie) got recalled into the military and deployed, we saw our regular vet, Doc Kim. She's been having some discussions with a Great Dane breeder about the growth issues in giant breeds. After some time of breeding/feeding puppies, this breeder has come to the reluctant conclusion that the better quality dog foods are actually a detriment to raising giant breed puppies. Since their growth needs to be slowed, but still remain even, it's this breeder's opinion that giant breed puppies will grow better on poorer quality feeds...even something as pathetic as Ole Roy. Although I can see his point, and certainly understand his reluctance to reach that conclusion, my insides twist at feeding something like that to a dog I love. We have decided to do a compromise of sorts, though. When Reilly is confined to his room while we're gone, he'll only have access to a regular commercial dog food...Pedigree large breed. It's actually what Murphy and Jake got before Murph developed some food issues. They won't eat out of Reilly's bowl, so I don't have to worry about Murph eating it. Reilly will eat out of their bowls though, so he is eating the grain-free food when we're home. So his diet is split, with half the grocery store feed and half the better quality grain-free feed. We'll see what, if anything, that does for him.
We start puppy school this Tuesday. I do, anyway. Reilly doesn't get to go the first day. Just me. I have to learn the rules, get his shot records checked, and all that stuff.
In the meantime, Reilly is excellent sitting on command. He knows "come" well, too. (I did try to convert to here but failed miserably.) He also knows "wait", and is fairly strong with it as well. We've been working on "down" lately. He knows what I want, but doesn't do it unless my hand goes down and has a treat in it. We'll keep working on it. The class will be covering the same commands, but he'll be learning to do them while there are all sorts of distractions around him. Other puppies. Other people. Other people talking to their puppies. Huge distractions. He's good at leaving things to come to me at home, but these will be new distractions, so will be really good for him to be exposed to.
I've misplaced my camera again. I need to find that thing and hang it around my neck and leave it there. You really need to see Reilly's feet. They're bigger than Murphy's, and maybe even Jake's. If he grows into his feet and ears he's going to be huge. He's also starting to develop flews...hanging lips. We'll see how hangy-faced he gets to be.
Meg and Reilly
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Milestones
It's official! Reilly went to the door, asked to go out with the tiniest of whines, then went straight out to poop when I let him out! Yay! He's figuring it out. We are moving from us being trained to get him outside, to him being trained to ask to go outside. Awesome!
We went to the park this morning about 5:45. Jake got to go too. Chris and Jake went in one direction and Reilly and I went in another, on our short path we had identified. Although Reilly wanted to do a bit of playing, trying to eat the leash to start with, mostly he walked like a gentleman. About halfway around, I went off the path into the grass and told him he should go potty...and he did! He hadn't been showing any signs of wanting to stop or pee, but he went anyway.
And this evening he asked to go out to poop.
I think we've had a good elimination day!
Oh! And the don't-eat-your-poop pills seem to be working. He hasn't eaten his poop since his second day on them. The pills are by Four Paws, and they're called Potty Mouth. Based on Brewer's yeast and cayenne pepper, with some B vitamins and some minerals. Tastes good going in, but not coming out. I found them at the local pet shop. I had hopes but no expectations. I've never used such a thing before, but I'm pleased with them.
I'm glad I went ahead and got a proper vest for him. If nothing else, it's helping him understand the difference between serious/work time, and play time. When he's not wearing the vest, it's playtime. When I put it on him, it's time to settle down and pay attention. Of course, at his age he is only wearing it in short spurts. He's got a great attention span for a puppy, but he's still a puppy and I need to make sure he gets plenty of play breaks. His walk is the longest he wears the vest; the sessions we have at home are short. And the informal stuff I don't vest him for.
I've given him back his carrots as the true test of poop eating, and I'm happy to say he gets to keep his carrots. He's happy. I'm happy. It matters not to him what kind of treat the big dogs get, if he can only have a carrot! We also make sure to give Reilly his treat last. Jake and Murphy always get theirs first. And all dogs wait until the humans have eaten before they get a mealtime treat. Reasons? Enforcing hierarchy in the household. People eat first, because we're the bosses. Reilly eats last, because he's at the bottom of the pecking order. As a pack, the pups would eat last, so that puts him there automatically. But I want him there also because he's going to get bigger than both the other boys. I would like to discourage challenges later. But the other reason I put him last, is that he gets practice waiting. All the boys know they don't get anything during our meals, never anything in the dining room, and begging is a huge no-no. When our meal is over and we take things back to the kitchen, then they can ask if there's anything they can have. If there are doggie-appropriate leftovers, they will get a couple bites. If not, a dog biscuit or carrot. Starting Reilly off knowing to be patient when we eat, that he has to get his food in a certain place and no place else, and all the other rules, will make it easier later to teach him that he's not sharing in a restaurant. He'll get fed only where his bowl appears, which will be home and work mostly, with occasional homes we visit. His bowls, not strange bowls. And only food from me or from Chris. Everything I can do to make him less likely to expect food when we're out will be helpful. At this point, he waits until the big boys have their breakfast bowls before he gets his carrots, and he waits nicely. He doesn't try to interfere with them. If they get a treat, everyone is required to sit for it, and he waits nicely until the big Boys have gotten theirs. It's going well so far. He also understands that I can take his bowl away, give it back, play with his food...and he doesn't have an issue with it, just like the others don't.
I'll be finishing this tomorrow, as I'm just wiped out. Long day and more new medications... it's time to sleep.
Meg and Reilly
Okay...not tomorrow. But I'm back today. I had lost the camera, so couldn't take a new photo, plus we were tightening down for the hurricane. It just sideswiped us, with no more damage than a bad thunderstorm would have done. Looks ugly for those further north, though.
Here's your new photo. I realized that most of them are in the kitchen. I didn't realize how much time I spend there! Of course, I am not using my sticks in there either, so it's easier to pick up the camera. Maybe if I hang it around my neck instead of pocketing it when I'm out I could use it better.
Edited because a good chunk of this post disappeared...again!
Reilly is showing more signs of leg issues. His front feet are rolling inwards now after correcting from growing outwards. And his hindquaters are weak. He has trouble getting up, no matter what surface he's on, he bunny-hops up and down the two steps into the house, and he wobbles. I'm not spazzing...(I'm also on a lower dose of prednisone!) I'm inclined to remain positive, but will make sure it gets monitored. He has a routine appointment this week, so I'll have him checked well. I'm glad we did the x-rays before. This visit will finish his puppy shots, but I'll be setting up appointments just to check his legs out. I'll discuss with the vets how often we should do this. He's on a lower calcium food than he was before, so that should help. And this does come in spurts, as does his growth...as you can see from the picture!
I think with my work schedule I may be cutting these posts to weekly, or twice a week. That's pretty much what I'm managing anyway, so I should make it official.
Meg and Reilly
We went to the park this morning about 5:45. Jake got to go too. Chris and Jake went in one direction and Reilly and I went in another, on our short path we had identified. Although Reilly wanted to do a bit of playing, trying to eat the leash to start with, mostly he walked like a gentleman. About halfway around, I went off the path into the grass and told him he should go potty...and he did! He hadn't been showing any signs of wanting to stop or pee, but he went anyway.
And this evening he asked to go out to poop.
I think we've had a good elimination day!
Oh! And the don't-eat-your-poop pills seem to be working. He hasn't eaten his poop since his second day on them. The pills are by Four Paws, and they're called Potty Mouth. Based on Brewer's yeast and cayenne pepper, with some B vitamins and some minerals. Tastes good going in, but not coming out. I found them at the local pet shop. I had hopes but no expectations. I've never used such a thing before, but I'm pleased with them.
I'm glad I went ahead and got a proper vest for him. If nothing else, it's helping him understand the difference between serious/work time, and play time. When he's not wearing the vest, it's playtime. When I put it on him, it's time to settle down and pay attention. Of course, at his age he is only wearing it in short spurts. He's got a great attention span for a puppy, but he's still a puppy and I need to make sure he gets plenty of play breaks. His walk is the longest he wears the vest; the sessions we have at home are short. And the informal stuff I don't vest him for.
I've given him back his carrots as the true test of poop eating, and I'm happy to say he gets to keep his carrots. He's happy. I'm happy. It matters not to him what kind of treat the big dogs get, if he can only have a carrot! We also make sure to give Reilly his treat last. Jake and Murphy always get theirs first. And all dogs wait until the humans have eaten before they get a mealtime treat. Reasons? Enforcing hierarchy in the household. People eat first, because we're the bosses. Reilly eats last, because he's at the bottom of the pecking order. As a pack, the pups would eat last, so that puts him there automatically. But I want him there also because he's going to get bigger than both the other boys. I would like to discourage challenges later. But the other reason I put him last, is that he gets practice waiting. All the boys know they don't get anything during our meals, never anything in the dining room, and begging is a huge no-no. When our meal is over and we take things back to the kitchen, then they can ask if there's anything they can have. If there are doggie-appropriate leftovers, they will get a couple bites. If not, a dog biscuit or carrot. Starting Reilly off knowing to be patient when we eat, that he has to get his food in a certain place and no place else, and all the other rules, will make it easier later to teach him that he's not sharing in a restaurant. He'll get fed only where his bowl appears, which will be home and work mostly, with occasional homes we visit. His bowls, not strange bowls. And only food from me or from Chris. Everything I can do to make him less likely to expect food when we're out will be helpful. At this point, he waits until the big boys have their breakfast bowls before he gets his carrots, and he waits nicely. He doesn't try to interfere with them. If they get a treat, everyone is required to sit for it, and he waits nicely until the big Boys have gotten theirs. It's going well so far. He also understands that I can take his bowl away, give it back, play with his food...and he doesn't have an issue with it, just like the others don't.
I'll be finishing this tomorrow, as I'm just wiped out. Long day and more new medications... it's time to sleep.
Meg and Reilly
Okay...not tomorrow. But I'm back today. I had lost the camera, so couldn't take a new photo, plus we were tightening down for the hurricane. It just sideswiped us, with no more damage than a bad thunderstorm would have done. Looks ugly for those further north, though.
Here's your new photo. I realized that most of them are in the kitchen. I didn't realize how much time I spend there! Of course, I am not using my sticks in there either, so it's easier to pick up the camera. Maybe if I hang it around my neck instead of pocketing it when I'm out I could use it better.
Edited because a good chunk of this post disappeared...again!
Reilly is showing more signs of leg issues. His front feet are rolling inwards now after correcting from growing outwards. And his hindquaters are weak. He has trouble getting up, no matter what surface he's on, he bunny-hops up and down the two steps into the house, and he wobbles. I'm not spazzing...(I'm also on a lower dose of prednisone!) I'm inclined to remain positive, but will make sure it gets monitored. He has a routine appointment this week, so I'll have him checked well. I'm glad we did the x-rays before. This visit will finish his puppy shots, but I'll be setting up appointments just to check his legs out. I'll discuss with the vets how often we should do this. He's on a lower calcium food than he was before, so that should help. And this does come in spurts, as does his growth...as you can see from the picture!
I think with my work schedule I may be cutting these posts to weekly, or twice a week. That's pretty much what I'm managing anyway, so I should make it official.
Meg and Reilly
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