Memoirs of a first-time dog owner

Can you say stinky?

2009-04-10T19:02:00.000-04:00

Before I had Stella I never knew dogs had gas. Now I know. Now I really know. My ten pound shih tzu can clear a room. I have to use air freshener so I can return to that room. I don’t even want to know how bad a bigger dog can stink things up or what you’d need to do to cover the smell.

Non-negotiation may not always turn out as you'd like

2009-04-09T20:53:00.001-04:00

Hopefully you don't think I'm crude for posting this. In light of my recent post on how to deal with Stella's growling I thought this was funny. I especially like how happy the dog looks.

Hiding under the bed

2009-04-08T19:31:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time there was a dog named Stella who knew if she hid under the bed then we couldn’t get to her. So of course when she was in trouble that was the first place she went. Because we didn’t want to move all of the furniture in our bedroom to get her out she got away with it. She also takes her bones under there so she isn’t interrupted as she tries to down them in one sitting. The end.

Grrrrrrr

2009-04-07T22:50:00.001-04:00

Stella has started growling recently. Like, when I sit in her favorite chair and she wants me to move. Or, when she wants to eat what I’m eating and is mad I’m not sharing. Or, when she wants me to play with her while I’m busy working on my computer.

Growling to me is the equivalent of a kid throwing a tantrum. Do I ignore it, let her know its unacceptable behavior or punish her. How do you let a dog know when behavior is unacceptable? Will she even understand? How do you punish a dog? I’ve heard not to put dogs in their crate as punishment so that basically means time out doesn’t work. I’m telling you having a dog is like having a kid except I don’t have to pay for her first car.

What's the fascination with laundry?

2009-04-03T19:15:00.000-04:00

We always catch Stella playing in the laundry. She doesn't care if its dirty or clean. She'll even tip over the laundry basket so she can get to the clothes. Maybe she doesn't have enough toys.

? Question Mark Face ?

2009-04-02T22:09:00.003-04:00

My husband and I will always tell each other what we think Stella is thinking. In this picture I think Stella is wondering what the camera is.

Look Who Turned Two!

2009-03-16T19:18:00.000-04:00

Stella's enjoying her birthday treat. She gobbled it up in one sitting.

Stella unwrapping presents.

Haircut!

2009-03-15T21:05:00.004-04:00

Before...

After...

Shampooed Carpets

2009-03-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

We recently shampooed our carpets and Stella’s reaction to the wet carpet surprised me. When she stepped on the wet carpet she recoiled as if stepping away from a hot stove. She then went on the hunt for a dry spot. The carpet on the edges of the room was dry since it’s hard to clean the carpet right next to the wall. Stella figured out the edges were dry and would try to hang out there but didn’t like being limited to such a small place. Then she discovered under the dining room table was dry and camped out there.

I’m surprised she didn’t like the wet carpet since she has no problem tromping through snow or through the bushes when it’s raining.

Common Sense

2009-03-05T17:46:00.001-05:00

Dirty Dog + White Couch = Bad Idea

Let it snow! Let is snow! Let it snow!

2009-01-05T18:09:00.000-05:00

I’m surprised to find Stella likes the snow. I thought she’d be so cold she’d be afraid to go outside or would rush to go inside as quickly as possible. However, she’s had a blast playing in the white fluffy stuff. When it gets too deep for her to walk normally then she hops through it like a bunny. It’s pretty funny to watch. It was hard snapping a picture of her in the snow because she wouldn’t hold still long enough for me to get a good picture. She’s having so much fun she’s running all over the place.

Christmas Sweater

2009-01-04T16:34:00.001-05:00

My friend gave Stella this darling Christmas sweater.

Dress up!

2008-12-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

I’ve wanted to play dress up with Stella for awhile. I finally did and the pictures above are the result. I discovered scarves are the best dress up clothes for a dog Stella’s size. Stella didn’t enjoy being dressed up as if you couldn’t tell from the sad look on her face. Maybe I should coax her with treats next time so she enjoys the experience.

Pretty in Pink

2008-12-07T20:09:00.001-05:00

How cute is this?!

Hot vs. cold

2008-12-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

You know how when it’s cold outside, you breathe then you can see your breath? Well, dogs have a similar experience when things come out the other end. After Stella poops you can see steam in the air right above her pile. It makes sense why it occurs, but I never thought about it before I had a dog.

Terms of endearment

2008-12-04T17:22:00.000-05:00

I find myself calling Stella terms of endearment sappy couples usually say to each other. It all started when my friend was telling me how her parents used to call each other sappy names. I thought, I’ll never use those names for my husband, but they’re kind of funny. So I call Stella by these names as a joke. Here are some of them:

Sugar
Sugar pie
Sugar pie honey buns
Snookums
Lovey
Sunshine
Schnookies

Head tilt

2008-12-02T18:10:00.000-05:00

I love it when Stella tilts her head when she looks at me! She’ll normally tilt her head to the left at a 45 degree angle. I don’t know what it is but she gets ten times cuter when she does it! Whenever she tilts her head I imagine her thinking, “I have no idea what you’re talking about?” I’ve been trying to get a picture of her doing it, and I haven’t gotten one yet. If I do get one, then I’ll be sure to post it.

No smoking – that means dogs too

2008-11-30T12:06:00.000-05:00

I was walking Stella the other day when she found a cigarette butt on the pavement and put it in her mouth. Just as I was telling Stella to spit it out she looked up at me and the cigarette was sticking out of her mouth just right so she looked like she was actually smoking! I was cracking up and really wishing I had a camera with me. After a quick Google search I found another dog who’d done the same thing and thought I’d post a picture of him so you can get an idea of how funny it looks.

Silly Stella

2008-11-28T12:03:00.000-05:00

Stella always seems to surprise me with her little personality. Lately I’ve been picking up her toys and putting them on top of a basket so they’re not all over the house. Once Stella notices she’ll go and drag each toy off the basket and onto the floor. Here’s the funny part—she won’t play with the toys. I guess she doesn’t like having her toys so far out of reach.

Stella smiling!

2008-11-13T19:03:00.001-05:00

I finally got a picture of Stella smiling!

Should I jump in the laundry basket or not?

2008-11-11T18:28:00.000-05:00

Stella did jump in the laundry basket, but she jumped out before I could snap a picture.

Top Knots on Shih Tzus

2008-11-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

Here’s a picture of Stella’s top knot before she pulled it out. Stella’s facial hair has gotten so long it is blocking her eyes in this picture. My husband loves top knots on shih tzus. He’s been waiting until Stella’s hair grew out so we could give her one. We finally put her hair in a top knot and she didn’t like it. Within minutes she’d managed to pull the hair thing out. We’ve tried a few more times with the same result. Maybe she just needs to get used to the feeling of having her hair pulled back.

Belated Halloween Pics

2008-11-08T16:03:00.004-05:00

We finally settled on a bumble bee costume for Stella. She would get all stiff when we put it on her. It probably wasn't very comfortable.

Smell anything?

2008-10-18T20:07:00.000-04:00

This is the most realistic dog costume I've seen.

How tall is this giraffe?

2008-10-17T20:01:00.000-04:00

I love how this is a weiner dog, one of the shortest dogs, dressed as one of the tallest animals.

Take your pick!

2008-10-16T18:09:00.000-04:00

Flower anyone?

2008-10-15T19:49:00.000-04:00

Friendly Witch or Mean Witch?

2008-10-14T19:45:00.000-04:00

I love the shadow the dog casts on the wall; it makes the picture more Halloweenish.

Super hero anyone?

2008-10-13T19:06:00.000-04:00

Batman

2008-10-12T16:18:00.000-04:00

Superman!

2008-10-11T15:16:00.000-04:00

What would you call this costume?

2008-10-10T21:13:00.000-04:00

Bananas anyone?

2008-10-09T17:56:00.000-04:00

Lobster & Chef

2008-10-08T19:05:00.000-04:00

Yoda

2008-10-07T20:57:00.000-04:00

In honor of Halloween

2008-10-06T20:49:00.004-04:00

In honor of Halloween I decided to post pictures of dogs in costume. I found this dog cheerleader costume here at dogclothes-apparel.com. I would have never thought to dress a dog like a cheerleader.

A dog’s teddy bear

2008-10-03T19:02:00.000-04:00

I think Stella’s “teddy bear” is really her rope toy. As you can see from this picture she likes to sleep with her rope toy at times. She keeps it right by her mouth too so that if anyone tries to take it she can get a quick grip on it.

Brushing dog teeth

2008-10-01T18:55:00.000-04:00

Stella’s had some kickin’ breath lately. We finally decided to buy a dog toothbrush and some dog toothpaste. My husband thought he could just hold Stella in his lap with one hand and brush her teeth with his other hand. Things didn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped. It turns out Stella doesn’t like toothbrushes and she especially didn’t like us putting them in her mouth.

We tried the actual brush kind of toothbrush and we tried one of those toothbrushes that you put on your finger. The finger brush was too big for Stella’s mouth so after a couple attempts we gave up on that one and went to the traditional kind of brush. Although this brush fit into Stella’s mouth she didn’t like it. I can’t figure out why because she likes to chew on twigs, bones and other hard things. How is a toothbrush any different?

We didn’t get much brushing done. It seems like we’ll just have to brush one quadrant of her mouth each night. All four quadrants are just too much for a little dog. No wonder vets have to sedate dogs to clean their teeth!

Stella in a raincoat

2008-09-29T18:45:00.003-04:00

We’ve been getting rain and I feel bad that Stella looks like a drown rat after I take her on a walk so I decided to buy her a raincoat/poncho. Stella didn’t know what to think when I put it on her. She just froze and wouldn’t move. I thought she looked hilarious and couldn’t stop cracking up!

I tried to coax her off the couch and that wasn’t working so I set her on the floor. She still wouldn’t move. My husband said Stella probably felt ridiculous because I was laughing at her and that’s why she wouldn’t move. I don’t think that’s the case. I’m sure Stella had no idea I was laughing at her. We put treats in front of her and after multiple attempts was finally able to get her to take a step or two. It turns out the poncho was too long in the front so whenever she took a step she’d step on the poncho and kind of trip. We finally had to take it off to go outside because we knew she’d be tripping her whole walk if we left it on. But seeing Stella wear that coat/poncho for ten or fifteen minutes was well worth it!

Singing in the rain!

2008-09-23T21:03:00.001-04:00

When it rains and Stella’s hair gets all matted down she looks so vulnerable! Today the lawn was mowed in the morning and it rained in the afternoon. When I took Stella for her walk it was still raining and she was walking through all the fresh cut grass. The grass ended up sticking to her paws and legs and getting tangled in her fur.

My usual routine when I return from walking her in the rain is to dry her off with a towel and then blow dry her with my hair dryer on a low setting. However, this time I had to get all of the fresh cut grass out of her fur too. I tried to hand pick some of it out but that was just causing the blades of grass to break with half the blade still tangled in her fur. I did the best I could and once she finished air drying the grass came out easier. Now I know not to let Stella walk in fresh cut grass when it’s raining!

Does the tooth fairy come for dogs?

2008-09-22T21:10:00.001-04:00

Stella, the rope toy and I were playing tug a war the other day. After we were done playing I noticed Stella looking intently at something on the floor. As I got closer I realized it was a tooth – a Stella tooth! Stella didn’t whine then or since so it must not hurt.

I think Stella is too old to still have baby teeth so the tooth that fell out must have been an adult. My husband and I opened her mouth and saw where her tooth came from. It had been one of those really crooked teeth. I think Stella probably felt better with that tooth gone.

A night out on the town

2008-09-12T23:08:00.000-04:00

I figure Stella gets bored with just hanging out at home and taking walks in the neighborhood so I decided to take her to an outdoor concert. Stella hated it. I couldn’t figure out why. Other dogs of all different sizes were at the concert and contently sitting or walking around with their owners. Stella didn’t want anything to do with the music. She wasn’t even sure she liked the other dogs that were hanging around. Maybe it’s a personality thing and she figured if those dogs like music then they weren’t the kind of people she wanted to be friends with.

On the flip side a lot of people who saw Stella thought she was adorable and just cooed over her. We ate on the patio of one restaurant that even brought Stella her own bowl of water. I love dog friendly places like this.

Do dogs hyperventilate?

2008-09-11T18:23:00.000-04:00

Stella was making weird wheezing noises one night and she was so loud she woke us both up. I was quite startled as she’d never done this before. My husband thinks she had a bad dream and was hyperventilating. After doing some research it looks like Stella might have been reverse sneezing which you can read about here. It scared me when it first happened but Stella’s only done it one other time so I think she’s ok. This is another one of those things that I just never knew dogs did.

Spit it out!

2008-09-10T19:06:00.000-04:00

Stella knows what “Spit it out!” means. We were walking with Stella and she found a pebble and put it in her mouth. My husband caught her and told her to spit it out. As an obedient little dog she indeed spit it out but one second later put the pebble back in her mouth. Again, my husband told her to spit it out and again Stella obeyed. Then for a third time Stella put the same rock into her mouth. We finally realized once she spits out the rock we need to tell her to “leave it” or she’ll just pick it up again. It was an interesting lesson for me on doggy logic.

Resting in the shade

2008-09-09T20:53:00.002-04:00

When I take Stella on her afternoon walk you think she’d be just dying to run around and get out all her energy since she’s been in a crate all morning, but that’s not always the case. When it’s really hot out she just finds some shade under a tree and plops down. She looks really cute when she does it but I keep forgetting to bring a camera with me to take a picture of it.

Apparently dogs can get heat stroke. I don’t keep Stella outside long enough for her to get that but I still think it is an interesting topic to research. One sign of heat stroke is if the dog starts digging a hole which means he/she is trying to find a cooler place to rest. This article has some good ideas for how to keep dogs cool in the heat like putting their bones in the freezer. Good ideas even though the summer heat is starting to die down.

Doting doggie mom

2008-09-03T21:19:00.005-04:00

I know I think almost everything Stella does is cute but indulge me one more time! :) Today I was vacuuming so I put Stella’s toys on a couple of stacked baskets to get them out of the way. When I was done vacuuming I forgot to put the toys back on the floor. A little while later I looked over and Stella was perched with her back paws on the ground and her front paws on the edge of the baskets. She was trying to get her toys which were just out of reach. After several attempts of stretching her little paws as far as they would go she finally knocked her toy ball to the edge so it rolled onto the floor then she attacked it and began to play.

So, why do I as a doggie mom think this is so cute? I guess it’s because I’m trying to imagine her little thought process during the scenario. It probably went something like this. “Hey, those are my toys up on those baskets. What are they doing there? Well, who cares how they got there I just need to get them down! I’ll jump up there. Dang it! My left paw isn’t long enough. I’ll try my right. Dang that one’s not long enough either. Maybe I wasn’t stretching to my full capacity. No, I really was. Okay I need to try something else. Hey, that’s a ball maybe it will roll off. Yea!!!” Basically, I think my dog is smart! :)

Give me attention!

2008-09-02T22:22:00.000-04:00

When my husband and I are both on our laptops/computers Stella likes to climb into our laps and lick our fingers and the laptop. She acts like she’s just starved for attention so she forces us to give it to her by getting in our way. How do dogs learn this stuff?! Sometimes Stella is smarter than we give her credit for. When she wants attention but isn’t desperate she’ll sit at our feet and stare at us. She’ll even perch on the edge of the chair or couch. But I know once she’s walking across my key board I’ve lost the battle and need to give her some quality time. I really do try and play with her every day but she’s still got her puppy energy and sometimes that’s hard to keep up with!

Doggie kisses!

2008-09-01T14:47:00.001-04:00

Stella doesn’t typically give doggie kisses. She licks a lot but doesn’t usually lick people on the face especially not on command. However, Stella will give doggie kisses to a couple of our neighbors. I can’t figure out why she kisses them and no one else. Maybe the neighbors are sneaking her dog treats to coax the kisses out of her. Anyway, I was lying on the couch and Stella came up and gave me kisses on the cheek and ear. I was completely surprised and wonder if she’ll attempt it again.

Products of our environment

2008-08-29T19:59:00.000-04:00

I went to the dog park today and saw an interesting thing. Skinny dogs had skinny owners. Big dogs had big owners. It makes me thinks that dogs are more a product of their environment than some might think. It’s like in the movie “101 Dalmatians” when you see all the dogs with their owners and you can totally tell what dog belongs to what owner!

What would Stella sound like?

2008-08-28T20:01:00.001-04:00

The other day my husband asked me, “If Stella could talk what do you think she would sound like?” Good question. I had to think about it for a second but I think Stella would sound like a stubborn little kid. You know the kind that has selective hearing and only obeys when it coincides with her agenda. My husband thinks Stella would sound like a snobby lady. You know the kind of lady that thinks she’s above everyone else and thinks she’s giving you permission to do something that is really your God-given right to do.

Dog names and nicknames

2008-08-27T22:26:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I feel like all dogs are named from a pool of only like 30 names. There seems to be more repeats of dog names than human names, proportionately speaking. Whether this is true or not I thought it interesting to look up the most popular dog names. Take a look. I think you’ll be surprised how many dogs you know with names on the list. FYI, Stella’s name is not on the list.

As a side note, I’ve noticed when someone gets a nickname it is either an elongated version or shortened version of their original name. I’ve started elongating Stella’s name to Stella Bella. My husband has started shorting her name to Stell. Maybe in another couple months we’ll have created a completely new nickname that doesn’t sound anything like Stella.

Picking up dog poop

2008-08-25T20:17:00.001-04:00

I took Stella on a walk and brought one of those bags you use to pick up dog poop. Stella did her business so I used the bag and threw it away. Apparently, Stella wasn’t done with her business and a little while later pooed again. Since I didn’t have another dog poop bag I looked in my purse to see if I had something else to store Stella’s waste in. The only thing I had was a snack size zip loc which I used to pick up the very stinky poop. That little bag filled up quick and I wasn’t able to close it. I held the open bag of poop at arms length away all the way home. Let’s just say I’ll be taking multiple dog poop bags with me on my walks from now on.

Losing sleep over a dog

2008-08-24T16:12:00.000-04:00

We didn’t get much sleep last night. Stella couldn’t get comfortable sleeping with her lampshade collar on. We wanted her to wear it though because we were afraid while we were sleeping she’d tried to pick at her stitches. She couldn’t really fit in her bed with the collar on and she couldn’t curl up under our bed because the collar was too big for her to crawl in the small space. So she paced and fidgeted around the room causing us to have restless sleep. My husband woke up around 1:30 a.m. to discover Stella finally went to the bathroom – on our carpet. I used a lot of paper towels to clean that up. Hopefully she’ll recover quickly for her benefit and ours.

Stella’s recovery

2008-08-23T20:44:00.001-04:00

Stella’s obviously in a lot of pain and doesn’t like to walk much. We carried her outside several times and set her in the grass, but she won’t go potty; I think she’s in too much pain. We’ve finally been able to coax her to eat and drink a little bit. We moved her to the coach so we could keep an eye on her all day. At times, she tries to lick her incision. We don’t like putting the lampshade collar on her so we sit right next to her so we can stop her each time she tries to touch her stitches. That got tiring after a couple hours so we put the lampshade collar on her for awhile. She doesn’t know what to do with that collar on so she sits or lays perfectly still. We’d do intervals with the collar on and intervals with the collar off all day.

Stella got spayed

2008-08-22T22:50:00.000-04:00

Stella got spayed today and since coming home from the vet she’s been hiding under the bed and hasn’t come out. I think that’s her safe place where she knows she won’t be disturbed. We’ve tried bringing her water and food but she won’t have any of it. Occasionally she’ll give a really sad whimper or a yelp of pain. We laid on the floor next to the bed with a pillow and blanket to be close to Stella and giver her moral support. I don’t think she was feeling the love or even remember us lying there. I think it was more to make us feel like we were doing something to help. The only advantage to the situation is I can leave Stella alone in a room for longer than five minutes without having to worry that she’s chewing on something.

Formula for Stella getting caught doing something naughty

2008-08-21T21:41:00.001-04:00

I’m in another room

+

I see Stella doing something naughty

+

I say “Stella!” to get her attention

+

Stella freezes because she knows she’s doing something wrong

+

I tell her no

+

Stella doesn’t look me in the eye and pretends to ignore me

+

I start walking towards Stella to take away whatever she has that she’s not supposed to

=

Stella rolls on her back in a submissive gesture

Why does Stella like to have her belly scratched?

2008-08-20T20:38:00.002-04:00

I don’t know the answer to this question, but here are some of my guesses.

-Fur is itchy
-A belly scratch to a dog is like a back rub to a human
-Fleas
-It’s comfortable
-Makes her feel loved
-Makes her feel like she’s the center of attention

Fascination with couches

2008-08-19T22:04:00.002-04:00

I don’t know why, but Stella likes to take naps on top of the couch cushions. We do have a comfortable couch and I wonder if the most comfortable part of it is the top of the cushions where no sits. I’m just waiting for the day when Stella rolls over and falls off the couch or at least falls to the seat of the couch.

Kong toys

2008-08-18T19:28:00.000-04:00

We filled up Stella’s Kong toy with that Kong liver paste stuffing. However, we didn’t read the label which said one teaspoon is a serving. We filled up her whole toy and then gave it to her in her crate when we had to leave. When we got back home we let her out of the crate and she bolted around the house like she was in the Olympics and breaking the sprinting record for dogs. She jumped on the couch and bounced off in a somersault-like move. That’s when we realized we weren’t supposed to fill up her entire Kong toy with stuffing!

Teaching Stella to lie down

2008-08-17T22:10:00.000-04:00

We’ve been teaching Stella to lie down. The shih tzu book we have came with a training DVD which gives instructions on how to teach a dog to lie down and we used that as our guide. We’ve been breaking the doggie treats we have into little pieces to coax Stella to the floor. My husband thought he made some progress until he tried to get Stella to lie down without any treats. She stared at him like she had no idea what he wanted.

I tried getting her to lie down with treats and she did pretty good. However, we still need to work with her a lot to ingrain the concept into her. I’m surprised at how fun it has been to try and train Stella. I think the most fun is seeing Stella actually do what we’re teaching her. It is rewarding to know we taught her something.

One month!

2008-08-15T20:07:00.000-04:00

I can’t believe we’ve had Stella one month already! I think we’re getting into our routine quite nicely. Stella is adapting to her new sleeping, eating and exercising schedule. She’s also learning the rules of her new home. I’m impressed at how quickly Stella is learning what’s right and what’s wrong. She ignores us and doesn’t make eye contact when we tell her to get off the bed or to do something else she doesn’t like. Then when we go to pick her up she rolls on her back and acts submissive. We’re giving Stella lots of love and in return she’s giving us lots of love. We’re having a good adventure so far.

Stella’s eating habits

2008-08-14T19:43:00.002-04:00

Most dogs come running when they hear the sound of dog food hitting their bowl but not Stella. I have to crouch down by the dog dish and coax Stella to come over from across the room. We know we’re not feeding her too much because we’ve adjusted her food amounts so she maintains the proper weight. We’re also feeding her the exact same food the breeder did so it’s not like Stella doesn’t like the food. All I can figure is Stella’s just got her own little personality.

Dog strollers

2008-08-12T21:13:00.005-04:00

I just learned about dog strollers. I never even heard of them before. The one above is from Overstock.com. I think it looks a lot like a child’s stroller but other ones look more like they'd hold a dog.

Some companies like Just Pet Strollers sell dog strollers exclusively. Apparently, this is a popular enough item that people can have a successful business with this one product. This blog gives 16 reasons to use a dog stroller. I’m not convinced I need one, but I do think it is an interesting concept.

Dogs walk backwards

2008-08-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

I never knew dogs could walk backwards. The other day Stella squeezed into a tight spot and the only way for her to get out was to walk backwards and she did just that. I was wondering if Stella was a dog superhero so I looked it up Online and apparently other dogs walk backwards too. I even found this YouTube clip of a dog who will only walk backwards into the owner’s guest room. Part of me is disappointed Stella’s not a superhero, but part of me is glad Stella is normal!

“Don’t play with your food!”

2008-08-11T21:54:00.002-04:00

When you were little did your mom ever say, “Don’t play with your food!” Well, Stella was playing with her food today and it was really entertaining. I actually wanted her to play with her food so I could watch her. We gave Stella a piece of a green bean because we read that’s supposed to help dogs get their fiber (and she needed to increase her fiber intake if you know what I’m saying). We don’t normally give Stella people food so she didn’t know what to think of this green bean. She was batting it around like a toy and played with it for five to ten minutes before she realized she could eat it.

What I don’t understand is when we’re outside Stella will put rocks in her mouth with no warning. Why does she put rocks in her mouth without playing with them and then play with a green bean for five to ten minutes before eating it?

Stella rolling in chalk

2008-08-10T18:43:00.001-04:00

Today on our afternoon walk we came across some sidewalk chalk murals. I was trying to get Stella to walk in the grass so we could avoid Stella getting chalk on her paws. At this very moment Stella decided she wanted to roll on her back. Needless to say Stella had blue and pink chalk all over her back. It always seems like when I’m in a hurry Stella decides to do something that delays me even more. Luckily cleaning the chalk off her back was just a matter of wiping her down with a towel.

Great place to buy dog toys

2008-08-08T22:27:00.002-04:00

I’ve found a great place to buy dog toys – the dollar store. I bought a rope toy for a dollar and then went to a pet supply store and saw almost the exact same rope toy for $4 (and that was the sale price)!

Stella’s had her rope toy since the day we got her and I thought she might be a little bored so I went back to the dollar store and got her a couple more toys. One toy is a rubber bone that squeaks when you press on it. Stella is scared of it and won’t do anything with it except sniff it. I did have luck with the other toy I bought her – a tennis ball with a fabric handle (see picture). I was pretty sure Stella would be more interested in the handle than the ball and I was right. I don’t really care whether she plays with the ball or the handle as long as she’s entertained.

Dogs and Vacuums

2008-08-07T22:49:00.002-04:00

My husband and I were worried the first time we vacuumed with Stella in the house that she'd be really scared. My husband took Stella in one room and closed the door while I vacuumed the rest of the house. The next time we vacuumed we left Stella in the same room and she wasn't even that scared. I think sometimes we enable our dogs to be scared by giving them special treatment when in reality they just need to be treated normal.

Stella eats goose poop, a condition known as coprophagia

2008-08-06T22:10:00.002-04:00

As you can tell from my last post, Stella eats goose poop. I don’t know why she has this fascination. When we’re outside Stella sniffs out dog poop, but she doesn’t try to eat that as much as the goose poop.

Apparently dogs who eat animal poop have a condition called coprophagia. This condition is described here. In summary, here are some of the reasons why dogs eat feces:

-They aren’t getting enough nutrients or/and minerals from their current food.
-They’re bored, anxious, stressed or not getting enough exercise.
-They are left alone for a long period of time.
-The dog’s area (kennel or yard) isn’t cleaned frequently so the dog tries to clean it himself by eating the poop.

Conversation between me and Stella during her afternoon walk

2008-08-05T18:38:00.003-04:00

Me: Stella! Don’t eat goose poop that’s disgusting!
Stella: Sniff. Sniff. (head buried in the ground)
Me: Come on. (trying to coax her away from the goose poop)
Stella: (looks up chewing her mouth)
Me: Siiiick! (I lean over and try to open Stella’s mouth to make her spit out the poop)
Stella: (turns away and swallows)
Me: Stella, if you’re hungry we can go home and get you something to eat. It’s not sanitary to eat goose poop. Think of where that came from.
Stella: (looks up at me)
Me: Why would you want to eat that disgusting stuff when we’ve got normal food at home?
Stella: (trots over to me and we walk home)

Crate trained

2008-08-04T21:06:00.000-04:00

Stella is a stubborn little character. The breeder told us to tell Stella “kennel up” when we want her to go into her crate. When we first got her we’d say it a few times and Stella would go into her crate. Now when we say it she won’t obey. So I decided to coax her in with treats. That worked for awhile, but now Stella’s not falling for the treat trick. I’ve finally resorted to picking her up and putting her in the crate. I prefer Stella go in the crate of her own will but that will of hers is pretty stubborn.

Stella’s First Bath

2008-08-03T11:17:00.002-04:00

This picture isn’t Stella, but it was way cuter than any picture I took so I thought I’d post it instead of a Stella bath picture.

I know Stella’s been bathed by her previous owners, but today was the first bath we gave her. We bathed her in the kitchen sink and put a small towel at the bottom of the sink so she could have good traction and wasn’t sliding everywhere. We started off bathing her with luke warm water and she was shivering like crazy. I tried giving her a treat but she was shivering so much she wouldn’t even eat it. I was trying to determine if she was cold or scared. Since she’s been bathed before I didn’t think she’d be scared by a bath. We changed the water to warm and she shivered less.

My husband was the one doing all of the scrubbing and he was very gentle and sweet with Stella. All I did was gently hold her so she wouldn’t jump out of the sink. We put big cotton balls in Stella’s ears so she wouldn’t get water in there, but she wouldn’t have any of that. Stella got the cotton balls out in a matter of seconds.

Stella was a good girl and didn’t shake her fur out until she was out of the water. We towel dried her and then used a hair dryer on low heat to finish the job. Luckily, her hair is still short so it didn’t take very long to wash and dry. Overall, I think it was a good experience.

Why do dogs like to chase birds?

2008-08-02T21:55:00.003-04:00

Stella loves to chase birds. It doesn’t matter the size or type of bird; she loves them all! The funny thing is she doesn’t chase flies, bees or other flying insects. Are those creatures too small for her to see? What makes the birds more fascinating than other flying creatures? I’ve tried looking this up. So far I’ve found people who agree dogs like to chase birds, but no one seems to have an explanation. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy watching Stella being entertained.

Dogs climbing up stairs

2008-08-01T22:04:00.000-04:00

Having never had dogs I never noticed how dogs climb stairs. The other day I noticed that Stella hops up the stairs. She doesn’t climb them one paw at a time. Instead she puts her front two paws on a stair and her back to paws on a lower stair. To get up the stairs she brings both her back legs up at one time. This may be obvious for life-long dog owners but for me it was a new thing to observe. My husband says big dogs climb stairs one paw at a time, but Stella’s not a big dog so she doesn’t.

Panting – Happy or Hot?

2008-07-31T18:56:00.000-04:00

So my husband thinks Stella pants because she’s happy. I think Stella pants because she’s hot. However, I do think Stella looks happy when she pants, but I don’t think happiness causes the panting.

Here’s what the experts have to say:

This article says,
“There are many causes of panting. Most commonly it is in response to environmental changes, such as anxiety, fear, excitement, or heat. However, if panting is excessive or your pet is in distress, it is important to identify the underlying cause.”

Ashley says,
“Things like obesity, stress, dehydration, some parasites, and other issues can lead to increased panting.”

This article says,
“Dogs pant when they are hot, but panting can also be a symptom of an illness or a sign of stress.”

Here’s a long explanation for why people say dogs are happy when they pant. In a nutshell, dogs who pant are less likely to attack or bite than a dog who is not panting. (At least that’s how I understood it.) I guess comparatively speaking that makes a panting dog happier than the non-panting dogs.

This site says,
“Dogs can pant for a lot of different reasons, although people usually associate panting with the dog being hot or overheated. However, dogs also pant for a lot of other reasons. They pant when they're stressed, when they are happy, when they are excited, and also when they are in pain or discomfort.”

Maybe my husband and I are both right.

Stella’s first trip to Petco

2008-07-30T21:17:00.003-04:00

I want Stella to be a socialized dog. I want her to get out and “see the world” and not stare at the same four walls all the time. So, today we made the big trip to Petco!

Her little sniffer went crazy as she tried to figure out all the new smells she encountered in each aisle. As I was standing and looking at one rack of pet supplies Stella was not content to sit happily by my side. She stretched as far as her little leash would let her just to get a sniff around the corner. As I read numerous product labels Stella kept tugging on her leash. I thought she’d eventually let up or at least go sniff the floor on the other side of me. Apparently she smelled something very enticing and would not give up. Finally, when I’d selected my items from that rack, I let Stella follow her nose around the corner. I didn’t even see food on the next aisle so I’m not quite sure what was tempting her.

I did convince Stella to go to the purse/doggy carrier aisle. I really wanted to see how Stella would like to be in one of those purse-looking dog carriers. I tried to fit her in several, but surprisingly a ten pound dog is too big for most of those bags! Stella did fit in the least attractive, duffle-bag looking carrier. Stella wasn’t a big fan of any of the bags. Not even the cute faux leather one!

After picking out the supplies I needed and checking out the bags, I decided to let Stella explore. This time Stella got to be the guide and I followed her around the store. I didn’t have nearly as much fun as when we looked at bags!

Lesson #6 -- Dogs can entertain themselves

2008-07-29T22:42:00.001-04:00

I love to see Stella playing by herself because it’s really funny to watch. I never knew dogs did this. Sometimes Stella will do sprints in the house for no apparent reason. It’s like she’s racing an invisible person.

Stella will also play fetch with herself. She’ll leave her rope toy in say the living room. Then she’ll go into the bedroom and sprint back to the living room attacking her rope toy as if we’d thrown it for her to fetch.

She also plays tug-a-war with herself by holding her rope toy in between her front paws and then biting the other end of the toy and pulling on it. I always wondered how dogs kept from being bored and I guess now I know.

Dogs throwing up

2008-07-28T20:41:00.000-04:00

So Stella threw up this morning when I took her on her walk. I didn’t know dogs threw up and I didn’t know what to do. My first reaction was to race her to the vet as fast as I possibly could. However, my husband told me we didn’t need to be so hasty and we just needed to keep an eye on her. She didn’t throw up again so I think she’s fine.

I talked to an experienced dog owner about it and she said it’s normal for dogs to throw up. That was good to hear. I’m curious as to what caused Stella to throw up. My husband read somewhere that if dogs get too excited in the morning that can cause them to throw up.

P.S. I thought I'd refrain from posting a picture about this!

A Good Book on Shih Tzus

2008-07-27T22:26:00.002-04:00

My husband and I have been reading The Shih Tzu written by Deborah Wood and published by T.F.H. Publications, Inc. It’s been a good resource for information on the breed. If you don’t have a shih tzu the publisher also has a lot of other books on different dog breeds. You can check out the publisher’s Web site here for information on other books they offer.

One thing I found particularly interesting was in the grooming chapter when the author said to teach your dog her body parts. The premise behind this idea is if you teach your dog her body parts she won’t be scared when you wash her because she’ll know what’s happening.

Lesson #5 -- Hubbie falls for puppy dog eyes

2008-07-26T16:09:00.002-04:00

My husband and I have been talking and both agreed we need to put Stella in her crate occasionally when we’re home so Stella doesn’t associate being in her crate with us leaving. During the week (Monday through Friday) I’m always the one who puts Stella in her crate because that’s how our schedule works out. So today I wanted my husband to put Stella in her crate so I’m not always the bad guy.

My husband came back into the living room after putting Stella in her crate and starts saying stuff like, “Does Stella really need to be in her crate?” I was confused. He’s been the big supporter of making sure she doesn’t associate the crate with us leaving and now he doesn’t want to put her in the crate while we’re home. I reminded him of that and he got a guilty look on his face and said, “The puppy eyes got to me.”

Lesson #4 -- Dogs have personalities and minds of their own.

2008-07-25T19:54:00.001-04:00

Before we got a dog, I learned different dog breeds have different temperaments and among each breed each dog has its own personality. I believed those facts when I heard them, but now I’m experiencing how real those statements are.

Just like children, Stella has selective hearing. When we ask/tell Stella to get off our bed she doesn’t make eye contact and pretends not to hear. We often have to physically pick her up off of our bed and put her on her own bed.

However, the time Stella decided to listen she jumped off our bed and went straight to her bed. I was amazed that she knew she was doing something wrong (being on our bed) and she knew where she was supposed to be (her bed).

Sometimes when I take Stella on a walk she’ll decide she wants to take a nap in the shade. I logically try to explain to her that it’s walking time right now because I only have an hour lunch break and need to get back to the office. By the time I get to the word office she’s dreaming about doggy bones and doesn’t even know I’m still standing next to her.

How much scratching is normal?

2008-07-24T21:40:00.001-04:00

Stella scratches herself a lot. I’m trying to figure out if this is normal and I’m just not used to it or if she really has a flea or/and tick problem. She’s on flea and tick medicine, but I don’t really understand what the medicine is supposed to do. We found a couple ticks on her and had to pick them off with tweezers. Later I found a couple more dead ticks on the floor next to her. This makes me think the medicine will kill a tick shortly after it latches on to her but won’t prevent a tick from burrowing into her fur. I’ve never seen a tick before so this whole thing is grossing me out. I don’t know what is causing Stella to scratch if it’s not fleas or ticks.

Lesson #3 - Lots of people think my dog is cute

2008-07-23T19:27:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think others think my dog is cuter than I do. I think Stella is cute when her fur is about an inch long. Right now her fur is about 1/8 of an inch long so I think she’s not measuring up to her potential! Anyhow, people keep commenting on how adorable Stella is and I keep thinking, “She’s ten times cuter when her fur is long!”

I do think Stella has a darling face. She’s got big, brown eyes that look innocent even when she’s not! Her chocolate-colored face has a nice white marking in between the eyes and around her nose and mouth. If someone were to ask me what good markings on a dog look like I couldn’t tell them. However, I think Stella’s face has good markings! The white spots just look like they’re in the right place.

Stella has extremely soft fur; softer than any other dog I’ve met. I’m happy when others notice how soft her fur is and comment on it. Today, one fellow dog owner said Stella’s fur felt like velvet. I was pleased the dog owner noticed Stella’s fur. I find it funny how such little things make me a proud dog owner.

Dogs and separation anxiety

2008-07-22T20:52:00.000-04:00

I think Stella is having some separation anxiety. She follows us around the house and almost always wants to be in the same room as us. I actually don’t mind that she follows me around because then I can keep and eye on her and make sure she doesn’t potty in the house or chew on something she’s not supposed to. However, I feel bad for Stella because I know she’s doing it because she’s insecure.

Whenever my husband or I leave the house she goes to the door and waits. The person who stays home has to coax her away from the door by playing with her and distracting her from the fact one of us is gone.

I read some articles on separation anxiety. This article by The Humane Society says, “It's important to realize, however, that the destruction and house soiling that often occur with separation anxiety are not the dog's attempt to punish or seek revenge on his owner for leaving him alone. In reality, they are actually part of a panic response.” The article also has some other great information about dogs and separation anxiety so if your dog suffers from this I recommend reading the article.

My husband called and talked to a dog trainer who said separation anxiety is common for a week or two in dogs that are in a new home. We’ll keep an eye on Stella for a couple weeks to see if her anxiety gets any better.

Lesson #2 - Having a dog improves your social life or at least encourages strangers to talk with you.

2008-07-21T18:46:00.001-04:00

I find it interesting strangers on the street are more likely to talk to us because we have a dog. I’ve noticed this phenomenon with children, especially babies. When you have a baby random people in the grocery store line will comment on how cute he or she is, ask how old the baby is, or talk to the baby. The same thing happens with dogs. I’m surprised at how many strangers will talk to Stella in baby talk, want to pet her, or coo over how cute she is. People soften up when they see a dog. At least, dog people soften up when they see a dog!

Lesson #1 - Just because I’ve accepted one dog into my life doesn’t mean I’ve accepted all dogs into my life.

2008-07-20T22:14:00.002-04:00

I’m not a dog person. This makes it hard when I’m walking Stella and I meet fellow dog owners. The other dog owners rave about how darling Stella is and frankly, I just don’t feel the same way about the other dog. I try to be polite and say the customary, “Your dog is so sweet,” but really my heart’s not in it. I wonder if this will ever change.

Week 1, Day 2

2008-07-19T17:22:00.000-04:00

Right before going to bed last night we took Stella outside to potty and she would not pee or poo. We figured she wouldn't make it the whole night without going to the bathroom so we set our alarm for midnight to take her out to potty then. Apparently Stella was still not in the bathroom-going mood because 30-40 minutes of outside time at midnight brought no crouching on the part of Stella. She was just scared and shaking. We tried to take her out again at 3:00 a.m. and she still would not go. How do you force a dog to go to the bathroom? You can't.

Then this morning when we were in the other room getting ready for the day Stella leaped over the baby gate peed in the living room. Stella has either forgotten how to be potty trained, does not like it when we leave her alone or simply couldn’t hold her little bladder any longer. We’re wondering if we’re going to have to potty train this little dog.

Week 1, Day 1

2008-07-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

We went and picked up Stella today. Our breeder lives in the country on 10 acres of property. We stayed at the breeder's house for about an hour absorbing all the information we could from her and watching Stella interact with her little doggie friends. We saw Stella's five puppies which are sooo cute! I think the breeder was trying not to cry as we drove away. I almost wanted to cry for her.

We bought some baby gates and put one up so we could put Stella in a little gated area while we went out to eat dinner. Well, the gate wasn't strong enough and Stella was able to knock it over. When we got home she was running laps in the living room and peed and pooed in the house. We were not happy about her using our house for her potty especially since she’s supposed to be potty trained. I’m also disappointed the baby gate doesn’t keep Stella contained.

Preface

2008-07-18T14:07:00.000-04:00

I am a first-time dog owner. My husband is a two-time dog owner. He grew up with a german shepherd/australian shepherd mix and a cocker spaniel. I knew at some point in our marriage we’d end up getting a dog. Our dog ownership started sooner rather than later.

We just bought a 16-month old female shih tzu from a breeder. The breeder was trying to downsize and we jumped at the chance to get a potty trained adult dog. We’re getting the dog for a pet and not to breed her so she’ll be spayed sometime soon.

The breeder calls the almost ten-pound dog Stella. Since Stella knows and responds to her name we don’t want to change it.

The purpose of this blog is to share my first experience owning a dog. I’ll share my epiphanies, joys, challenges, successes, etc.