Quick update on experiment

My previous blog was about my experiment, and well, the results.....failed. The only thing the forbid accomplished was to give my dogs diarrhea. Just had to let you know since I just knew you would be on the edge of your seats.

Experiment. Will this work?

You know your dog has done it at least once. Come on admit it. If you haven't seen it done then you know it's probably happened when you weren't around to see it. Eating poop. This is absolutely one the most disgusting things ever! For some reason I find myself in a household with four dogs who keep doing it, ugh!!

I could use this post to tell you all of the scientific reasons that dogs do this. I could use this post to tell you all of the diet changes or behavioral modifications that you can use to stop it, but I'm not going to. I'll let you do a simple google search online for it (actually called "coprophagia") and you'll find all of that. What I'm going to do is let you in on my struggle. I've done all of those things and more and if I see one more of my dogs eat poop I'm going to get sick.

I did it. I went for it. I ordered a product online called For-bid. Heard of it before but never used it. It is suppose to make the poop taste bad (wouldn't you think it did already?) and the dogs won't eat it. It got delivered today. After using it for about 5-6 days it is suppose to curb the behavior for about 5-6 months. So now, let the experiment begin.....

Side Note: This is suppose to only help if you have a controlled environment of which dogs are around. Meaning this will not keep your dog from eating other's dogs' poop at the park or your neighbor, it is only suppose to deter from the dog that is actually taking the supplement. Since my girls eat each others it should work.

Visit to Retirement Home

Occasionally we like to visit schools and retirement homes. We've been invited to come out once a month to Talmadge Terrace Retirement Center. Beau (a certified therapy dog), Jersey and Heidi made the trip this week. As you can see from the pics they all three love it. Heidi is great because she fits perfectly in the residents' laps which they love. She can get antsy when I walk too far away, but she soon settles down and enjoys the lovin. Beau is a big ham. He especially likes it when one person is petting his head and another his back. The residents love seeing such a big friendly dog and love hearing the story of him surviving cancer. Jersey, being just a pup, still does amazing. However, she gets tired quickly and every trip after about 30 minutes passes out on the floor. She has learned to "front feet" which means to put her front feet on something on someone. This gets her closer for the petting.

If you are interested in your pet being able to do this, you first step is basic obedience. Your dog has to be able to be under your control at all times. Also, you need to socialize him/her to as many different environments and things (crutches, wheelchairs, etc.) as possible. The more places you can take your dog the better. This makes going new places commonplace and they can be calm and still even if they've never been there.

Jersey and the lake

I've always thought it would be fun to have a water dog, so I've made sure to get Jersey around water as much as I can. Poodles are water retrievers so I figured it would be no problem as long as she was introduced young. As an interesting tidbit, poodles fancy haircuts actually came about because of them retrieving in cold water. They left the hair in places that would protect their joints and vital organs. (And you thought the cuts were just silly.) Anyway, true to her breed Jersey loves the water. Right now I call her a "messy swimmer." She stretches her long legs so that her back feet can still touch and thrashes with front legs. I don't throw too far. She gets better each trip. We've been going out to Fort Yargo Park. If anyone is ever interested in joining us just let me know.

Meet My Gang

Welcome to my blog. Since my main discussions about dogs will be about my gang I thought I'd take a second to introduce you to my girls. (In order of when they joined our family.)

Bailey (far left)

We joke that Bailey is a hienna mix because we are always asked and she is probably a good mix of lots of breeds. She was rescued by Spalding Humane Society as a pup. We've had her 9 years now. Bailey is co-owned by me and best friend John. Officially his, but listens to me:) She recently had ACL surgery and is learning to use her leg again.

Kenzie (3rd from left)

Kenzie is a purebred dalmatian. She was rescued on her "death-day" from Athens Animal Control. A week later I decided to keep her. She's my baby. She is also the most titled of my dogs. Agility, obedience...all no problem. Loves to play fetch with tennis ball. She is 7 years old.

Heidi (far right)

Heidi will be two in September (we guess). She was rescued along with 300 other dogs from the Jackson puppy mill in 08. I never thought I'd own a small dog or chihuahua, but she stole my heart. It is so different having a small dog!

Jersey (2nd from left)

I've always wanted a standard poodle but would never buy from a breeder. We had a rare opportunity to place 9 standards. I kept Jersey. She's the new up and coming smarty pants, full of puppy antics. She is 6-months old.

In this picture they were practicing stay on the driveway. Training, yes, but really a fun game. They love the release and run to mommy for love!