Miecke and the Worms
My family has always owned dogs. It is our tradition. We cannot even imagine our lives without dogs. We have also been very lucky. We never had any trouble with our dogs. All our dogs were easy to train and very trustworthy. We were spoiled. Everything changed when Miecke came into our lives. Miecke is an adorable German shepherd. Cute as a button.
I remember it very clearly when my husband brought her home. She was so calm, so patient, and so quiet. We thought we hit a jackpot with that one. But we were also curious. Isn’t she just a tad too quiet? And then it got worse. She became inactive, her gums and ears became pale, she started eating her poop, and her poop smelled so badly, our eyes welled up. All that happened in a very short time period.
We knew we had to take her to the vet right away. The only reason we waited so long was because the man who gave her to us said she had just been to the vet and was de-wormed. Our vet diagnosed Miecke with hook worms, gave her the medicine, and she got well very quickly. The sweet, quiet, passive puppy changed into a little tornado before our very eyes. But that is a different story.
What have I learned from this experience? Never trust blindly the person who gives you a puppy. Take the pup to the vet right away. Be alert when your puppy is too mild mannered. Lethargy, smelly fecal matter, white gums and ears are just some of the indicators that there can be worms present in your puppy’s digestive system.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
House breaking Miecke
Miecke and the potty training
Having had multiple dogs before, we knew we had to potty train our adorable German shepherd puppy right away. We always use the same method. We use the crate. So it was a no-brainer that we would have to use the same method on Miecke. Of course, nothing comes easy with Miecke. As adorable and lovable she is, she can be twice as hard-headed. As she HATES to be confined.
The crate system of house breaking is simple. During the day, you take them outside shortly after they eat and drink and you praise them extravagantly when they do their business outside. Occasional accidents inside are to be expected. Puppies do not like sitting or sleeping in their own mess. When you put them into their crate at night, you leave them just enough space to lie down. In relatively short period of time they will hold it until they can go out.
Of course Miecke was different. She hated the crate with passion. She cried all night and the mess she made was indescribable. We figured it would pass. After some time, and some sleepless nights, we were ready to throw in the towel. We tried everything. We placed the crate closer to us, far away from us, we limited food and water intake before bedtime, and nothing worked. It seemed that Miecke had a special storage in her body where she saved the urine and fecal matter. She decided that we will not be in crate unless we suffer too. We didn’t know what to do.
All of a sudden, she stopped. Out of nowhere. I think that we were just a little more stubborn than she was. What did I learn? That no matter how difficult it seems to train your puppy, it can be done. It takes lots of patience, some sleepless nights, but it must be done. Because if you don’t train your puppy right away, it will never become the kind of dog you really want around your family.
Having had multiple dogs before, we knew we had to potty train our adorable German shepherd puppy right away. We always use the same method. We use the crate. So it was a no-brainer that we would have to use the same method on Miecke. Of course, nothing comes easy with Miecke. As adorable and lovable she is, she can be twice as hard-headed. As she HATES to be confined.
The crate system of house breaking is simple. During the day, you take them outside shortly after they eat and drink and you praise them extravagantly when they do their business outside. Occasional accidents inside are to be expected. Puppies do not like sitting or sleeping in their own mess. When you put them into their crate at night, you leave them just enough space to lie down. In relatively short period of time they will hold it until they can go out.
Of course Miecke was different. She hated the crate with passion. She cried all night and the mess she made was indescribable. We figured it would pass. After some time, and some sleepless nights, we were ready to throw in the towel. We tried everything. We placed the crate closer to us, far away from us, we limited food and water intake before bedtime, and nothing worked. It seemed that Miecke had a special storage in her body where she saved the urine and fecal matter. She decided that we will not be in crate unless we suffer too. We didn’t know what to do.
All of a sudden, she stopped. Out of nowhere. I think that we were just a little more stubborn than she was. What did I learn? That no matter how difficult it seems to train your puppy, it can be done. It takes lots of patience, some sleepless nights, but it must be done. Because if you don’t train your puppy right away, it will never become the kind of dog you really want around your family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
