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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Dog days

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Well, we've been dog owners for a little over 48 hours. Here's what's gone down around here:
  • Dungy the cat hid under Charlie's bed for the first 16 hours. Then he ran outside and stayed there, watching the dog through the window for the next 6 hours. Then Annie brought him in to try to get them used to each other. There was some hissing, a feline swat, and Gabby yielded the floor to Dungy. They are not fast friends yet, but they are civil enough to be in the same room.

  • Gabby has been on about 10 walks in two days. The kids fight over who gets to walk her. Anyone want to place bets on how long that lasts? Mike and I took her out for a walk tonight. She does great on the leash and doesn't bark at other dogs, even if they bark at her first. Wish I could get my kids to be so polite.

  • Sunday night, Gabby barked for about 15 minutes after being put to bed in her crate. I ignored her. I'm good at that. I've had 13 years of practice ignoring whining, crying and yapping. Last night, she only barked for 10 minutes. Tonight, she dug in her heels a bit and didn't want to go, but I "persuaded" her fairly easily and she hasn't made a peep.

  • I'm learning that the word "housebroken" is open to interpretation. It's nothing tragic. She does go potty outside, for which we praise her immensely. But she's also baptized a few spots in the house as well. I had a hunch buying that pet stain/odor remover would be a good idea.
All in all, it's been a great experience. Guess I'm not so crazy after all.

7 comments:

Joanie said...

When my son brought his cat, Tucker home to live at my house, he hid in my bedroom closet for 3 days. He hissed and swiped at me whenever I tried to pick him up and then he bit me. The cat is lucky he's still allowed in my house. I forgave him because I knew he was freaked out by the other 2 cats who have lived here for 5 years.

Eternal Lizdom said...

The pic of Annie and Gabby is perfect!! That is a happy pooch and a happy girl!

It's normal in an adjustment period for a dog to mark territory a bit. Just correct the behavior and move on.

And tell someone to give Gabby some smooches on that very cute nose.

cat said...

Oh I love dogs - bet she is going to bring much much joy. Thanks for popping in at my place and for you prayers.

Shauna said...

The feline-canine adjustment sounds normal to me! When we first brought Ozzy home, he and the cats had a few incidents of hissing and swiping (they drew blood a few times as well). Ozzy soon learned to leave them alone if they hissed. When we brought Catie home, our younger cat walked right up to her, swiped her on the nose and then walked away. Catie has respected the cats' need for space from day 1. :)

Peeing in the house is also a normal thing at the beginning. The dog has to mark her territory and establish the space as her own. It's also common for there to be "oopsies" since it's a new home for her. As long as you have an enzyme based cleaner, it'll be a breeze. :)

Anonymous said...

I got my dog as a pup and we've had her for about 6 1/2 yrs now. My cat still doesn't like her and barely tolerates her. LOL

Fighting over who gets to take the dog out? I wish!

Diane
Toronto, ON

Beth Zimmerman said...

Awwwww ... I LOVE new puppies! Good luck getting her 100% housebroken!

Beth said...

When we adopted a dog my kids were also fighting over who got to walk him. It lasted a week. Then I had to threaten all sorts of punishments to get them to walk the dang dog!