Re learning the potty/apartment living update.

I have gracefully given up on pee pads and a newly bought potty patch, as per everyone's suggestion. Wilson just looks at them in confusing and holds it in till I break down a few hrs later and take him out as I mentaly tell myself that I am a good owner over and over. Your right, I should be happy with Wilsons need to only use grass, so thank you to everyone that posted and offered help or encouragement when I asked. So what if I have to carry him down flights of stairs more then twice a day so he can go? Really how is that harming me asides from forced exercise that I probably need? Dread dread dread winter time though, but me and the pup will cross that bridge when we come to it.

This apartment living is a new experience, I'll give you that. Wilson has just started to be calm and not bark like a dog gone crazy when he hears someone coming home next door. But maybe its cause he got tired of me, his mama, spraying him with a water gun when he goes into his crazy gunshoot barking modes. And yes, I do spray him but just for training purposes. If he barks and I te him ok thanks for the warning bark now stop, and he doesn't stop and completely loses himself in the barking then he gets water spritz at him. I'm kind of suprised that its been working. But enough blabber! Here's a cute Wilson picture.

Fine mom, ill walk myself by myself.

So there!

Question for those with dogs in apartments (or uses pee pads)

Hey all! We are all moved in to the new place! (by moved in I mean all my stuff is here but not really fully packed) And I need some advice!!! I got Wilson peepads to use since we no longer have a yard and I set up two areas for him. One on the balcony and one in our storage room off the balcony (has no door). Ive spritted it down with some puppy trainer that supposed to make it smell like pee.

What else should I be doing?!?! Its the first day here so I can understand that he will be stressed and I'll be patient with him since he does have to kinda re-learn this and all that but I need help! He seems pretty stuck on going to the bathroom on grass but I know I can teach my old dog new tricks, I just need some tips and suggestions!!!

Every time he goes to the door to ask to go out like he did back home I lead him to one of these area's (mostly the storage room as thats where I would prefer him to go) but so far no peeing.

Thanks in advance, I figured I'd use the blog to get some help =p

Back to your regularly scheduled posts

... not that they have been regular ever! LOL

Well I have a good reason for not updating the blog, really! First of all there was really nothing to say or to tell, Wilson still is on crate rest. That and I've been spending a lot of time looking for a place to rent that will allow dogs, fit my room mate and my wants/needs and within my price range.

Chelsea's New Home Wish List
1. It's in a good neighborhood
2. Close to main bus routes
3. Has a yard/a huge balcony for Wilson
4. Not a lot of stairs - either in the place or to get into the apartment. Bad for Wilson.
5. Lots of storage

And I finally have! Whoooow! AND ITS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM A DOG PARK! I'm excited! It means more dog park visits!

Annnnnd now that I've spouted almost none related Wilson stuff here are some pictures of the lovable long haired pup.

A Bum Leg wont get in the way of Spring Fun

At least I would like to think so. I miss being able to do stuff with Wilson, just as I am more then sure he misses being able to do things. Therefore a few days ago I decided to sit outside and place him on my lap so he could enjoy the smells that the breeze was blowing, all without having to use his leg.

He loved it! And I loved just watching him sniff for over an hour. I can't wait for Wilson's leg to get better!!!!

One visit to the vet later...

And there is something wrong with Wilson's back right leg, his knee to be exact. Maybe all the spring time fun we have been having together caused it, maybe it was because he was badly bred (his back legs are bowed) or maybe it was something else. I'm not sure and our vet isn't sure either =(.

I noticed that something was wrong when Wilson randomly whined, and my mother and me had noticed oh a walk that the way Wilson walked seemed somehow different but assumed it was because of a stick that I discovered stuck in his fur. I then went into panic mood worried that it was his back after I heard him whine as he was stretching.

After phoning the vet to make an appointment I ran to the Internet and looked up more on dachshund spine problems and teh common symptoms. Almost none seemed to fit, I calmed down a little but still worried.

One vet trip later and Wilson has been sentenced to kennel rest for two weeks in the hopes that his knee will heal without the stress of him running with it. No walks, no playing with me or the cat, no nothing that could stress the knee. 14ish hours of resting his knee a day. The pup gets to be toted around like a little chihuahua when I do need to move him (to go to the bathroom) for the next two weeks.

He also has to take an anti-inflammatory medication and a light tranquilizer. The tranq is for when I have to be at work. Wilson gets very anxious when he is left in his kennel when no one is home so the tranq helps him stay calm so he can rest.

Its already been four days and both me and Wilson miss the days of walks, play time and our training sessions. He keeps giving me his sad face. Poor boy!

We saw the cutest thing...

...at the dog park the other day. No it wasn't a puppy, or two dogs playing and prancing - though that is a cute image. No what had my little heart going "AWW!" was watching a little girl, no more then three walking her dog at the park. He was a big guy but kept looking back at her as she trotted along beside him with the hugest grin I have ever seen on a child! She was sooo proud of herself and he was so in tune with his little girl owner. I am kicking myself for not having my camera on me.

It made me very happy to see that he was so well behaved and very careful to not tug. He completely ignored the other dogs that were running about and kept an eye on her. Not that her parents weren't either, they were right there just in case. That also made me happy to see a family out having fun with their dog and being responsible. It makes me glad that I have this dog park nearby where for the most part everyone keeps an eye on their dog.

I've read some horror stories on other peoples blogs about off leash parks and yeah I originally and foolishly thought that all these horrible stories were because these parks where in the states. Why? Cause I never had a bad experience with Wilson at a dog park before I had started reading other peoples dog blogs. I'm Canadian, we say sorry even if it was our foot that got stepped on.

BUT NOP!

This is sooo wrong, our parks up here can be bad too. I've had and have seen some bad things at other parks when I went to visit them. I am thankful that I never went to any of these parks before I started going dog crazy and doing lots of reading and studying of body language, I'm thankful for this park close to me where a adorable little girl can walk her big dog through an area with lots of dogs and their owners and have nothing happen. I'm so happy that there are people out there that take care of their dogs and what to do things with them as a family and that the park I go to is in an area where most of the population are responsible dogs owners.

Where I have never seen: a person let their dog go into the park and sit in the car letting their dog become chaos incarnate.

Little dogs walking around on their own with no owner in sight.

Dog fights (I have seen dog arguments but never dogs fighting and trying to make the other bleed)

and etc.

Opps, my little post has turned into a rant. If your still reading sorry, this rant surprised me too =). Clearly I'm very lucky and very happy at how lucky I am! I hope that everyone can find a good dog park, just like I hope everyone can find a good groomer and a good vet office!

Here's a picture my Aunt took of Wilson and her kids while we were at the dog park a few days ago. And oh yeah, ps we are back home!! Wilsons very happy about it!



Replies to last post.

@ itsmebuddy I miss you too buddy! Wilson likes to think he knows cats but his cat Mindy sure proves him wrong often!

@ Jessica from YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner Oh yes! haha I'm sure they were wishing they could jump like Lenon could! There was much dislike for the babygates.

@ Max the Quilt Cat I always read your blog even if I don't comment! But thanks I have missed you too, and yes lol. I've been talking to some people and they all say thats typical of a cat. Guess I don't know them as well as I thought I did, but then again- who really knows cats?

@ jen Yes! It makes me very happy to see some sign of progress, even if it was a little one!

@ Schnauzer Days Nice to meet you as well!

The cat is Crazy!

Wilson is not so much a dog hater, its more he doesn't know what to do with dogs. Meeting dogs that show aggression or extreme excitability (Like our black curly poodle friend Dexter) is what tips him into crazybarkbarker barkbarksnap mode. See here? Cold hard evidence that if a dog is cool calm and collected around Wilson then all is (mostly) well!

Speaking of Dexter! He and Wilson played last night! It was only for 5 seconds before Wilson chased him off but I was so excited after it had happened I raise my hands into the air and yelled "SCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!". Which cause two dogs and the cat to stare at me like I was an alien.

And speaking of the cat...He's a little weird. Iv'e always have had cats and I'm used to their catty-ways but Lenon is just a whole new thing for me. Maybe its cause he never had any rules to follow and is allowed to do anything and everything, maybe its just cause he get bored easy or maybe its because he is just plain BONKERS!!

Why do I claim he's crazy? Well last night I was crocheting and I had put up the baby gate to keep both dogs in eye range. This is so I don't have to deal with Dexter peeving Wilson off to the breaking point in another part of the house and my dog getting charged with doggie murder. (Don't worry, I'm just joking. Wilson isn't that bad). Hearing a sound I look up and witness Lenon jumping over the baby gate. Not just once, or twice but over and over and over and over. Both dogs had picked different spots and sat watching this cat repeatedly jump the baby gate with the focus of someone watching a really good movie.

And he kepted doing it untill I stood up to grab my camera. After giving me a look of disgust he then walks over and jumps up onto the TV stand and started to dooze. So I stand by what I have said, the cat is crazy.

Doggie Room-mates: Day 4

OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH BOY.........

These past few days have been interesting since Wilson and I have left home. If I ever wanted a small taste into what the foster world is like I now have it! Dog to dog living situations where one acts like a big mean -pardon my french- asshat has been interesting. It's also been a big learning experience for me too, wonder what else I'll experience with Wilson during my month living with two and four legged room-mates. So to blogger friends that are interested in reading how Wilson's first doggies room-mate living situation is going, here are some things I have realized and learnt.

1. Wilson really really likes cats.

I mean more then I thought he did. He has no problem at all with my friends cat, he was all ready to playplayplayplayplayplay once he realized that this black and brown thing was in fact JUST like his white, grey and tan Mindy-cat back home. It took the cat until today to start to understand Wilson's body language since Wilson tries to initiate play differently then Dexter does.

I wish I had my camera out on the first day cause Lennon (my friends cat) pranced right up to Wilson and kind of wrapped a paw across his back and Wilson just rolled over onto his back and let Lennon climb all over him and start gently chewing on his fur until I picked Lennon off him. My only thoughts where my dog is so cute and that cat is strange...very strange....

2. Dexter get very very excited, and an excited determined Dexter can jump over a baby-gate.

ugh...there goes any plan I had with the baby gates...They are almost pointless where Dexter is concerned

3. Wilson thinks he's my right hand man when it comes to the rules.

When I tell Dexter to do something like 'get off the couch' or 'go away' Wilson magically appears out of no where and does the whole "Yeahyouheardwhatshesaid, yeahyeahyeahyeah get down boyo" just with a lot more snarling and snapping. He also snaps and growls at Dexter if Dexter tries to play with the cat, makes any kind of sudden move or comes into the space between the couch and the living-room table. Which then leads me to realization number four

4. I don't have as much patience as I thought I do.

On the first and second day I almost wanted to pull all my hair out, scream, yell. You know, that whole tantrum thing, every time Wilson started his crazy barking spree. Thankfully I did not - ish, but still I need to work on myself a bit more to be more calm cause I know Wilson feeds of my feelings.

5. The corner method that people use on children works wonders with dogs as well.

On the third day I remembered something that I had read and decided to spin the idea a bit. Next time Wilson did his growl thing at Dexter for no good reason (If he barked at Dexter cause he was all up in Wilson's face then I'm not going to punish Wilson) I will grab his collar and lead him over to a door just in the other room where I will have a leash tied up and clipped him to it and walked back into the living room and start chatting with my friends like nothing happened.

And so Wilson didn't like it cause he wasn't included in the whole happy socializing fun time but he could hear and see it and after the third time of him snapping at Dexter and getting punished so, he then started to realize that every time he did something to the other dog he would just put 'in the corner'. Like magic the number of growly threats against Dexter decreased. At this point he is still doing it occasionally but now I don't feel ready to rip my hair out or die of shame because I have an ill mannered dog.

6. Bribery works.

Wilson hates men, and I'm staying with a happy married couple at the moment. The best way of dealing with his man hate that I could think of was to give my friends husband a ton of Wilson's favorite treats and I told him that he can be as free with those treats as he wanted. His mission was to bride and spoil his way into Wilson's good graces. My friends husband is to never reinforce the rules that I have set for Wilson, share those treat with Wilson at random and not look into his eye's for a while. Me and my friend will be the one that will enforce the doggie rules, not him. Nop.

7. (and this one kinda makes me laugh) Whenever I use my positive, happy rewarding voice on one dog the other one comes running over thinking all my "good jobs" are for him. This makes rewarding either dog for good behavior frustrating, tricky and down right amusing at times.

So now here I am at the end of day 4, sitting on the couch with my best friend as she crocheting away. Her husband is playing a video game, all is quiet with the animals all laying around the living room sleeping. The cat on the computer chair, Dexter by my friends feet (in that space that Wilson had attempted to claim a few days ago) and Wilson is laying up against the wall about four feet from Dexter. He's ok when my friend's husband stands up or goes to do something, half the time he follows behind him with his tail wagging and a crazy OMG PLEASE GOVE ME GOODIES look in his eyes. Dexter can walk by Wilson half the time without Wilson loosing it, and I can see that Dexter is a bit relieved about this fact (Heck, I would be too!). Wilson and the cat had a big communication break through this morning and have had a few spurts of running, pouncing, paw batting play that they both seem to enjoy. Will this calm last is the question now.

Anyways, thanks for reading my long post. Any suggestions, questions or comments are always welcome!

Static: It happens to dogs too.

His 'fly away' ear hair was MUCH worse before I got my camera out!

Anyways I also wanted to say thank you to those that commented on this post.

Your words have given me confidence in introducing Wilson to his new doggie room-mate!

Wilson and his soon to be doggie roomie

A few of you know that I'm taking a Library technician diploma (shocking I know considering my poor grammar lol) and for a part of this program I have to spend a month working in a library to gain hands on experience. So what did I do? I decided to pick a library out of town. My friends that live there have offered me a room to stay in AND I can bring my Willy-billy with me. They also have a cat and a dog.

Meet Dexter, a 3 and a half year old poodle mix.

Wilson and Dexter have meet a few times before, Dexter has been over at the house and is an honorary member of the Woofle Pack- meaning whenever he's in town with his owners they come out with us to the dog park.



I foresee a lot of work considering Wilson has dog issues, but aside from Cookie I know that Dexter is the next best dog to use in regards to Wilson. Dexter just doesn't care if Wilson's barking in his face or not, he just wants to play and if Wilson doesn't want to play then he'll go off and do his own thing. I know this cause of a few times when Dexter was over at our house, aside from Wilson barking at him lots nothing else happened.

Since Wilson will be moving into Dexters home though I have been reading up on how to introduce dogs that have dog issues just in case. I figure that I would be prepared and do this the right way,because even if Dexters go with the flow at my house doesn't mean he will be in his.

Anyways, the following is what I plan on doing to make sure things go as smoothly as possible and leave both dogs with good experiences.

• When I get there I'll take both dogs on a walk to get them reacquainted with each other on neutral ground.
• I'll let Wilson explore the house without Dexter around so he can look about this strange new setting.
• I plan on bringing baby gates to use to separate them so they can see,hear and smell each other but not touch.
• Wilson will be staying in my room when I am not home, there will be no dog to dog interaction if I'm not there to supervise.
• I plan on keeping a leash on Wilson once the baby gates are down so that way I have some control by holding onto the leash. That way if I can see a problem about to start I can pick up the leash and walk away from Dexter with Wilson. The leash will be removed if Wilson/Dexter behaves.
• I'll remove all items that they can fight over such food or much beloved toys from the area where they will be when together.
• And of course reward good behavior and habits from both dogs!
  

If you have any more suggestions for what I should do or if you think there might be a problem with one of my strategies then please let me know. Even if its a story from your experience with doggie meetings! I just want this to work out as best as possible for both dogs!

(Look an Update!) In the Limelight, and chewed Socks.

Oh boy, its been a while since my last post... Sorry guys! Lots of stuff going on right now but I'll update you on the dog related things once they happen. Trust me I will...I promise hope.

Here we have a picture I just found on my phone of me (I'm assuming I've crashed after pulling an all nighter cram study session or something)and using Wilson's dog bed as a pillow. Guess Wilson decided to join me at some point and someone in the house 'borrowed' my phone to snap this picture. I'm not even sure when this happened even LOL!

Look at his face! It's like he is smiling knowingly at the sneaky person taking the picture. Sometimes I really wonder what our dogs are thinking.

PS!
I came home to Wilson sitting on a pile of socks. I have no idea where he found these since they seem to be the ones that went missing in the dryer (thus leaving me with one sock out of a pair. sighsigh). Not that it matters, they were pretty chewed up. So I threatened him, I threatened him good.

(via his twitter)

Just plain crackers

Valentines Day is Pawsome!

So what will the cast from The Dashing Dachshund Blog be doing this year for Valentines day?

Why thinking about our valentines of course!

Here is Mindy sending out the good old-fashion heart to her Valentines. Good old Mindy has used her great looks, personality (and my Twitter account) to hook herself the two most handsome cats in blogville! Just in time too.

So just who am I talking about? Why Knuckles and Bugsy from Maxthequiltcat! She sure is lucky to find not one but two blue eye companions this year!

And what about the dashing main character of the blog? Do I have a Valentines this year? You bet your favorite chew toy I do!

Sorry Lady's but this year I have a date with a pretty older lady that goes by the name of Cookie. So don't worry about me!

I just need a good brushing down (Chelsea: And a bath) before I meet my lovely maiden!

Have a good Valentines day everyone! I know I will!!

Wilson shows off some of his tricks

Had time today to set up the camera and get together with Wilson to film one of our trick practise/refresher moments. I filmed this thing about three times cause the first time Wilson was so excited he was running back between the camera, me and the cat all the while doing tricks on the run or jumping on his bed. Oh yeah, it was interesting to watch so I gave him a few seconds to calm down and tried again.

Second time around it went well but I seemed to keep forgetting that I was holding a clicker in my hands and was clicking him every couple of tricks. 'Well thats pointless' I thought and so I tossed it on the couch and watched Wilson run and fetch it for me. After putting the clicker aside I filmed this little bit.



For those of you that noticed I'm very sorry for the finger that I was using to point, I never even realized I was using that finger. Sorry about that! I also had a brain fart in the middle of the video and couldn't think of what to get Wilson to do at some points, lol sorry about that as well.

His bow was off camera and his foot tap was on the wrong side! AARRGG, I'll film it at some later date I guess. He is still learning bow, jumping through my legs and oh boy what else....AHH. The brain fart clearly continues. I'll give a list of what he knows and what he is learning later. BUUT MY FAVORITE part of this film is when Wilson looked directly at the camera. I can almost imagine the eye roll at waiting for me to tell him what to do next. Woot!

Our Suggestions for Traning with your Dog. (Aka dude just have fun)

The 'Five Things That A Person Should Keep In Mind When Training' that Chelsea Lives By. (For both trick and obedience training)

1. Consistency!

Be consistent with your training! Don't let your lovable companion get away with jumping up on you when you come home and then get upset at your pouchie when your dog comes in from outside with muddy paws and jumps up on you! Thats not fair to the dog as it sends mix messages to him. Why should one time be different then the next??

Get all that live in your house and interact with the dog on the same page too. I found this to be a big problem before I had a good old sit down with the family, now things are sooo much easier! We all use the same hand signs when it comes to tricks, they all follow the rules I have put do for Wilson like he's not allowed on the couch unless he is invited up. No more doggie confusion when he is told "nop, not allowed ham-ham" when moments earlier my mother was letting him get away with it.

2. Find what motivates your dog and use it as a reward.

For Wilson (and a lot of dogs that I meet) food is the thing that they LIIVVEE FOORR, human or other wise! But here the thing, I don't use treats all the time with Wilson. I've noticed with some friends dogs that they will not do tricks or listen to the basic commands such as sit, come, stay unless they see that treat in their owners hand. I found myself thinking how useless that is. I mean if your dog got off leash and was running towards traffic and you had no treats on you...I would want him to hear me say "COME!" and do just that.

So here's what I do instead, cause not only is Wilson food driven but he loves me and loves getting petted and played with. This is a great reward for most dogs too! To get him to learn the trick I use treats then once he's got it I start alternating between giving him the treat, getting down on the floor and spending even five minutes just playing, or even a "Thank you, good job pup!" and a pat on the head works great with Wilson. It may not with your dog since no two dogs are the same but you never know till you try ;) Most dogs just want your time and I'm not the only one doing this either! I've seen that a lot of agility trainers use tug toys as a reward for their dog for doing a great job, and one trainer roll around on the ground with his dog after he did the obstacle course. That just warms my heart.

3. Make it fun, for the both of you. Go with the flow.

This ties in with number 2 I guess, but always remember that learning tricks should be fun for the both of you, if its not then things could get pretty frustrating fast for everyone involve. The dog doesn't learn anything in the end and just isn't happy after being told they are doing things wrong.I think anyone thats ever played with younger kids can understand this rule pretty well. LOL. If he's not getting it then don't worry, he'll get it in the end. Just move onto something that more fun for him or his attention will wonder and he'll not be into it anymore.

4. Patience and self-control.

Pffh this one ties into number three. I also think this is one of the hardest things EVER! Normally I'm not very patient at all, oh the things we learn from having animals I tell ya. A trainer should not get upset that the dog isn't learning the trick right off the bat, if you get upset then the dog will too and then the training session isn't fun anymore. Give him time, he's not a rocket scientist. It took you sometime in school to learn stuff too ya know.

5. Try to save the word 'No' for more more serious things

If he does something wrong when learning then use something like, nop, natta or something. It wouldn't think it sounds good when someone is saying a word to me for not getting something that is normally used when I'm doing something really bad like attempting to make a new hole in the curtains.


"Mum loves my face and taking pictures at different angles of my face"

I also suggest short training sessions too. I find that dogs learn and retain better if you spend anywhere from 5 to 20 mins on teaching tricks then over an hr. I almost wish my classes where short like this too, I think I would remember more if that was the case. Hahaha. And clicker training! If you haven't heard about clicker training then take a look at this article on wikipedia

I found this post hard to write... Dog training is such a touchie subject in the blogging dog world... I'm no where near being the best writer around blogville and find that putting my thought into writing is sometimes hard so hopefully everyone gets what I mean *cross fingers* And I know a lot of people are hard core into treats but I think that Wilson should listen to me whether I have a treat or not, I'm not a fan of bribing your dog with food into listening to you. Like how children should listen to what their parent have told them instead of demanding a chocolate bar as a reward....

Anyways, thanks for reading. I'm thinking about tapping one of Wilson's training sessions and showing it off but I'm not sure anyone might be interested or not.

Don't worry, we miss summer times too.

Look grass! Look at how Wilson likes the nice summer breeze!

Move over winter we are all ready for some spring times over here.

Cookie the Dalmatian = Wilson's Doggie Crush

For those new followers (I love you, thank you for thinking our blog is worth following!) I have to repeat that Wilson does not like dogs, or strangers. That's why I'm pretty sure his little doggie heart starts to race with love, respect and whatever else when Cookie comes around.

This here is Cookie, a ten year old Dalmatian Mix.

What a character I tell ya. She's part of the little pack of friends and their dogs that I like to refer to as the Woofles Pack. She's the eldest and currently the largest in the group, and boy does she know how to treat dogs and people. She's always willing to let people pet her and share the news with other dogs. Cookie also knows how to treat a fear aggressive dog. She does this thing where she will completely ignored Wilson until he calms down and then lets him smell her over carefully as she 'ignores' him. So far it has worked wonders for him! He's gotten to the point that when Cookies around he's more willing to come out of his shell and romp about, almost play with other dogs even! He loves to follow her every where and shows off when she's around.

We joke that he likes the older more experienced ladies XD.

If I ever needed proof of how much he respects and loves the older dog, then the last time I was with Cookie and her owner in the last few days of snow free weather would be such an example. Cookies owner walked back to toss out a poo bag and Cookie trotted after her. I sat there watching as Wilson followed a few feet behind. He went farther then I have ever seen him go from my side and I was interested to see just how daring my pup was so I stayed where I stood. He would keep looking back at me with a pathetic look and then bark at Cookie.... Maybe telling her to wait for him or come back? She of course ignored him and went her merry way. Wilson finally gave up and sat down (I like to think that there was a 'Ploop' sound when he did). Clearly he went as far as he dared and he waited until Cookie and her owner started back and then feel in behind them.

I was shocked, jaw dropping shocked. hahahaha maybe even a little jealous of Cookie and whatever Wilson feels for her. Is that strange to say? LOL! But really I'm glad that there's a dog that Wilson can get that attached too, its one of those life balancing steps that I was looking for!

Anyways, I'll shut up and share a few pictures I had taken of Wilson following Cookie around the few times we have been to the park. Enjoy!

(For those of you wondering why Wilson is wearing a leash, its because his recall is not the greatest yet. Especially at the dog park so the leash helps give me something to grab if he gets that crazy running look in his eyes!)

Dis be my Secret Santa Postie

Say what? A Secret Santa post in the middle of January? … Yeah … Sorry about that folks. Anyways Wilson and I took part in Corgi Butt’s Secret Santa gift exchange, and we got our package a few days after New Years from Sam and Finely from The Corgi Chronicles!

Well by now Wilson has got a good handle on opening packages and he was more then excited to see me lay these on the floor and trust me he made quick work of them. Here’s what he got. And these are the best picture I could get cause after I let him have it he was to excited to hold still or pose for the camera. Oh yes, and Fin, Wilson also gets a huge kick out of the ear squeakers!

We love the envelop and the card! Both where very cute!

Wilson also got a pack of greenies. I gave him one that evening and he trotted off with it. A week later I found this greenie hidden behind his bed 0.o I snapped a picture and then placed it on the kitchen counter. Oh my strange boy, he's eaten all the others I had given him but not this first one and now its rock hard but he would not stop starting at where I put it on the counter so I gave in and gave it back to him...Only to watch him hide it underneath a pillow. *sigh*

Look at that content face! Wilson really likes this toy! So both Wilson and I would like to say thank you to Sam and Fin. Again I'm sorry for the late post =) And lets not forget the grand boy and his owner Kelly that set up this secret santa exchange!

Only Real Manly Dogs Wear Pink

Thats what they say and I'm sticking to it!

Wilson's Story

I figured it was about time that I post Wilson's story and how I ended up owning my favorite fat wiener dog. Unfortunately there was some dog abuse in his past that I had to briefly gloss over, but its not all bad!

'Why Helloooo Ladies'

 Wilson Angus C. (haha yes my pup has a middle name!)
Roan Long Haired 'Tweenie' Dachshund
Male


I'm luckier then most people who ended up owning a dog that they themselves didn't buy from a breeder or even a petstore (not that I agree that its ok to buy from a petstore, but thats a different story). I know where Wilson came from, I know a portion of his story and some of the causes of a few of his 'issues'. But let me start from the beginning.

The first time I saw Wilson he was taking a crash nap right against the window of a kennel he shared with his siblings at the petstore I visited often to pick up feeders for my reptiles and snake. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight but I was definitely interested. This was the second time I ever saw a long haired dachshund, the first being Sir Charlie who belonged to a friend of mine. I remember briefly thinking about asking to see one of the puppys but decided that I didn't have time, but these guys where not forgotten. For the next two weeks or so I would log onto the Internet and start googling about the breed whenever I wasn't doing anything.

I would drop by the pet store and take the time to watch them running about but one by one would vanish from the group having been sold till there was none left about three weeks-ish later. I wasn't all that worried about it though, I hadn't made any emotional connection to any of the puppies at this point since I never asked to hold one or play with them. It was at this point that I figured that my first dog might be a doxie when I was ready and had done more research into the breed.

A few days later I walked into the petstore to see Wilson in a kennel with two maltese puppies. I recognised him from the litter and asked my friend why he was back? She shook her head sadly as she told me that the people that had bought him had an allergic reaction to him so the store let the people return him. I continued to stop by and visit (my visits turning into full on play time in the store's 'puppy love room') when I was there for reptile food, for some reason he was there for almost a month when I got a picture message and text from a friend of Wilson saying how much she loved Wilson and how she liked him enough to buy him. She was excited and I was excited cause he would finally have a home and I could see him now and again since I had gotten attached to the silly fluff ball. Well .... she had three younger kids and at that point I hadn't done any deep research into dachshunds besides the basics like they originated from Germany,good for apartments, the coat types and colors, they got back problems easily and where known to be stubborn. Dachshunds don't do well with little hyperactive kids, and I'm ashamed that I also didn't know at this time to tell her that they are not the best first dog either.
So he went home, newly named Wilson and I saw him once in a long while. At the same time I was doing more research into a few breeds that I was interested in and when I learned more about doxies I would shared it with my friend. Now before I get into the rest of the story I have to ask that you not dislike my friend, she didn;t know how hard raising a puppy is, she was in a tough spot in life and didn't really know what to do about all it. Three young kids and a puppy are not the greatest mix for a young mother.

Then I started getting texts and phone calls. She was having a hard time house training the dog, the dog was eating the kids stuff then the questions from her just stopped. I didn't even think about it, on the rare visits I had with Wilson he seems fine, hyperactive but fine. Well it turns out that when she wasn't home her boyfriend would leave Wilson in his kennel for very long periods of time so he didn't have to care for him. Wilson was a puppy, puppies have small bladders and I found out much later after Wilson came to me that the boyfriend would kick the kennel around with Wilson in it. Currently Wilson has a panic attack if he is in his kennel and I leave the room, not just the whinny high pitch barking but crazy sounds I have only hear dogs in extreme distress make. Don't worry I'm working on solving this, Wilsons taking baby steps with this and I bought him a completely new kennel in the hopes that this will help.

I was told by her mom later after Wilson came to me that Wilson got out once and a big dog escaped from its yard and bite him on the rump. I'm not sure how hard, but not hard enough to scar since I have looked. This and the fact that he didn't get a long of socialisation at this time is the main reason he fears large dogs and doesn't know how to interact with other dogs his size even when he clearly wants too. This makes me soo glad that my friend Alicia has Cookie, a 11ish year old Dalmatian. The only big dog that Wilson likes LOVES, she completely ignores him until he finally settles down and afterward he just follows her everywhere.

Wilson also has an extreme hatred for males and young kids, I mean he dislikes strangers but he really hates guys. He hates guys even more the kids, I can only wonder what other tortures that Wilson had to suffer from a certain guy... Whatever, but don't be down about this! Wilson likes my younger brother which is a big step for him, it took a few treats and my brother ignoring him for Wilson to realize that his boy wasn't going to do anything. There's one male he likes, I take this as a good sign and I try to get those guys at the dog park that clearly are hardcore doggie lovers to give Wilson a treat and chat him up even if Wilson is barking his head off at the guys.

Anyways, there's a list of things that I know that happened that has effected him but I'm slowly working past all of them, he will always be never fully right but I'll get him to the point where it doesn't matter. Thank goodness that Dogs are Dogs and not People, People have a tendency to remember and linger, Dogs in the right environment just move on to better things.

Next time I saw Wilson her mom had him in her car as she was visiting elderly patents, She was sick of seeing him being in that kennel all the time so she would take him with her while she worked, at this point he would bark and growl at strangers so she couldn;t take him in with her. I dropped by to say hi and she filled me in on the stuff that my friend wasn't telling me about Wilson. She also said she was trying to find someone to take Wilson, cause she's be damned if she was going to leave that dog where he was. This all happened a few days after I found out that Condo board for where we were living had changed its rules for animals and now we could have two cats, dogs or mix as long as the dogs where within the size limit and my mom was debating on another cat or finally getting a dog. I told my friends mom to keep looking but make sure that he didn;t go anywhere till I discussed this with my mother, she agreed and later I brought it up with my mom who had also seen Wilson now and again.

She was a bit wary of getting a dog that wasn't a young puppy and that was "mess up" but I finally got her to agree. First would would let him into our home on a trial period of a few months to make sure this works out with Mindy and the family, and Second he was to be neutered. Oh and third he was my dog, and he would leave with me when I moved out. I told my friends mom and she agreed to those terms. And Wilson came to live with me, indefinitely. His paper work came along for the ride, vaccines gotten when a puppy and his current vet records, thank goodness!

He was slowly switched off the horrible food he was on and he fell in love briefly with the water fountain we had for the cat. He treated it like it was gold and rushed to it often to drink from it once he discovered it. He acted like he never seen water, which I guess would make sense if he was locked in a kennel for very long hours without food or water. His pee that first day was a horrible color that screamed dehydration, but don't worry that cleared up soon. In-fact I was surprised (and a little worried) at how much he was drinking but soon that fascination and desperate gulping of water subsided after he realized that it was going to always be there for him, he only had to share it with the cat.

Over a year later and Wilson is almost a completely different dog from when I first got him, he hardly ever humps anymore, in the summer is taken to the dog park at least once a week to get used to dogs and their owners and a lot of other things. I can't offer him the perfect dog life, not currently anyways, but I try my hardest to make sure he lives a doggie life worth living.

My friend and her kids still see Wilson now and again, as much as they are little hyperactive kiddo's they love Wilson and he always has a happy waggy tail thumping about when he greets them (they also happen to be the only kids he can stand at this moment). They love him even more so now that he's not humping them all the time LOL!

Anyways, thanks for reading guys! I'm going to turn this into the content of a page soon! Have a good night. =)

Top Five Post from Other Blogs

Just a short post, I don't mean to spam everyone with three posts in just as many days but I wanted to try doing this myself. This is my part in the Top Ten Favorite Dog Posts Challenge by Dancing Dog Blog. Now I can understand why the bloogers that took part thought it was hard. I follow a lot of blogs but here are five posts that stood out this year

the Ins and Outs of language for 2011 by BAD RAP

The small fearful dog therapist by Kenzo the Hovawart

It's Harder Than It Looks by Rolling Dog Ranch

This one was very touching, and just proves how strong dogs really are and how even something like cerebellar hypoplasia doesn't stop them

Dog training in the real world by Fearfuldogs' Blog

Appetite Satiated At Last by The long and short of it all
this post was where Joeys owner let everyone in the dachshund world know that Joey was finally fully on the mend.

Alright, I'm done! I'm pretty sure I'm repeating myself but have a Happy New Year!