Training that is. I, Kelsey, have started training Scuttle. There have been some issues that have come up and I have realized there are, somewhat, simple solutions. Right now I am working on Crate Training her. So far she has done far better than I anticipated.
At first I just sat down by it and gentle coaxed her over while talking gently to her. She relaxed and had no problems being near the crate. So, I placed her bed inside and threw in a couple of treats. She got both front legs, half of her body, inside with little issue. She has yet to enter fully but I have hope that within a couple of weeks she will be fully trained. Once she goes in there on her own, without treats, we want to start feeding her in there. She is really weird about her food and is a very slow eater, though I think this is because she is insecure still. My hope is that the crate will become her safe place, which she so desperately needs.
We are also looking into trainers to come into our home and work with us to teach her some basic obedience. We are excited to see what will happen in the future and are hopeful as to what we will be able to accomplish with a little help.
On another note she loves going on walks. She is learning to walk nicely without pulling, though she does have quit the stubborn streak. She hates walking behind Sailor but submits after a while. I'm teaching her to stop and return to my side when I say "stop". It was something she did on her own and I decided to make it a command.
I'll keep you guys updated. Until next time!
Kelsey
Friday, March 2, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Commitment
As any dog owner can tell you owning a dog is a rewarding experience. But it isn't always easy. It's a commitment. You have to worry about training, possible health issues, grooming, diet, and exercise. All these things play a huge role in the ownership of a dog.
I have to admit, we were blessed with our first dog, Sailor. When we got him he had his issues but is so quick to learn it didn't take him long to adjust his behavior. His training seems, as I look back, to have been a quick process. He remains an amazing willing to please dog, though he does have his share of vices.
Scuttle seems to be a never ending learning experience. Not only is she a rescue but she is no longer a puppy. At three years old I guess you could say she is stuck in her ways. The saying "you can't teach a dog knew tricks" comes to mind. As her owners it's our duty to her to provide her with an opportunity to overcome her short comings.
Walking seems to help and she transforms whenever we are taking a nice stroll around the block. She is so cute and perky it's so fun to watch. She has her frustrations, and so do I. I'm constantly trying to teach her basic leash manners. She pulls horribly so loose leash training is a must. So far she loathes being at the back of the pack (usually my mom, brother and Sailor). Her dominance is the main reason we make her walk behind. Normally its a frustrating experience for her. Demotion is never fun :).
One thing that I am learning is key to her training is I must always count the victories. Not only so that I don't get discouraged but, for her. After all that she has been through the least I can do is help her towards a healthier state of mind.
I have to admit, we were blessed with our first dog, Sailor. When we got him he had his issues but is so quick to learn it didn't take him long to adjust his behavior. His training seems, as I look back, to have been a quick process. He remains an amazing willing to please dog, though he does have his share of vices.
Scuttle seems to be a never ending learning experience. Not only is she a rescue but she is no longer a puppy. At three years old I guess you could say she is stuck in her ways. The saying "you can't teach a dog knew tricks" comes to mind. As her owners it's our duty to her to provide her with an opportunity to overcome her short comings.
Walking seems to help and she transforms whenever we are taking a nice stroll around the block. She is so cute and perky it's so fun to watch. She has her frustrations, and so do I. I'm constantly trying to teach her basic leash manners. She pulls horribly so loose leash training is a must. So far she loathes being at the back of the pack (usually my mom, brother and Sailor). Her dominance is the main reason we make her walk behind. Normally its a frustrating experience for her. Demotion is never fun :).
One thing that I am learning is key to her training is I must always count the victories. Not only so that I don't get discouraged but, for her. After all that she has been through the least I can do is help her towards a healthier state of mind.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Kelsey's Take on Scuttle
Hi!
Today I thought it would be interesting if I, Kelsey, wrote for my mom. With her busy schedule I know it's hard for her to sit down and update the blog. So, today I offered to write a post about Scuttle. In light of recent improvements I thought it would be cool to take a walk down memory lane.
I remember how it felt waiting for our name to be called to go and pick out our new family member. It's something that I can only describe as nervous excitement. Before the raffle actually began we were given the chance to look at picture and read brief health information about them. We already had two dogs we wanted to look at. A few minutes before the raffle actually began I took one last look at t he dogs. One sad face caught my attention. I asked mom to put Butterscotch on the list. She was the last we picked and the first one we saw. It was love at first site.
My Mema always told us that the dog that picks you is the one. When Scuttle (aka Butterscotch) came into the room she laid down right in front of us. I interpreted this as her saying, I pick you. So far she has thrived in our home. Sure there were struggles along the way but watching her blossom from being scared and unsure into a spunky amazing dog has been totally worth it.
She likes watching me clean the kitchen and is always the first to greet me when I get out of bed. Her little butt wiggles and her ears go back, you can't help but croon and get her a good morning pat. She has grown curious of strangers and greets them in a calm, slightly shy, manner. Just this morning we had a guest and she walked right out of the living room and into the entry way! This is a huge improvement!
Her routes around the house have grown into where she enters and exits the kitchen through both of the exits. She walks behind the couch and almost entered the hall for the first time today. She has grown tolerant of our cat, Mango, though I can't say the same for him.
I can't believe that we have been blessed with such an amazing dog! We got lucky with Sailor, our golden, and I always thought that he was the only dog for our family. Scuttle has proved me wrong. I love her to bits and can't wait for the many amazing years to come.
Signing off,
Kelsey
Today I thought it would be interesting if I, Kelsey, wrote for my mom. With her busy schedule I know it's hard for her to sit down and update the blog. So, today I offered to write a post about Scuttle. In light of recent improvements I thought it would be cool to take a walk down memory lane.
I remember how it felt waiting for our name to be called to go and pick out our new family member. It's something that I can only describe as nervous excitement. Before the raffle actually began we were given the chance to look at picture and read brief health information about them. We already had two dogs we wanted to look at. A few minutes before the raffle actually began I took one last look at t he dogs. One sad face caught my attention. I asked mom to put Butterscotch on the list. She was the last we picked and the first one we saw. It was love at first site.
My Mema always told us that the dog that picks you is the one. When Scuttle (aka Butterscotch) came into the room she laid down right in front of us. I interpreted this as her saying, I pick you. So far she has thrived in our home. Sure there were struggles along the way but watching her blossom from being scared and unsure into a spunky amazing dog has been totally worth it.
She likes watching me clean the kitchen and is always the first to greet me when I get out of bed. Her little butt wiggles and her ears go back, you can't help but croon and get her a good morning pat. She has grown curious of strangers and greets them in a calm, slightly shy, manner. Just this morning we had a guest and she walked right out of the living room and into the entry way! This is a huge improvement!
Her routes around the house have grown into where she enters and exits the kitchen through both of the exits. She walks behind the couch and almost entered the hall for the first time today. She has grown tolerant of our cat, Mango, though I can't say the same for him.
I can't believe that we have been blessed with such an amazing dog! We got lucky with Sailor, our golden, and I always thought that he was the only dog for our family. Scuttle has proved me wrong. I love her to bits and can't wait for the many amazing years to come.
Signing off,
Kelsey
Friday, November 25, 2011
By Leaps and Bounds
I can't say it enough! Scuttle just makes my heart happy. She is growing by leaps and bounds and continues to amaze me with how well she is adjusting. She is getting more and more adventurous and will come in the kitchen with ease and will walk around the couch and come in the living room from a different direction. She didn't do that before. She always came in the living from behind the chair and would use that as her pathway. I am noticing her getting more comfortable with other areas in the home too. For the first time today, I saw her rubbing her face on the carpet in my bedroom! I have NEVER seen her do this before. Also, the other day she was being playful and frisky and almost rolled over on her back. So close! I don't think it will be long before she lets us rub her tummy :) She still has her small little quirks but even those are getting better. She doesn't try to attack my blow-drier as much any more and although she still doesn't like the vacuum cleaner, she's getting better about not trying to bite it! All-in-all we've had a couple of great weeks since my last post! We couldn't be happier!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Licking, Bacteria, Prescriptions...Oh, My!
Sorry I haven't updated in quite a while! It seems there just isn't enough time in the day to do all the things that need to get done AND post on top of that :) So here we go...
About a week and a half ago, Scuttle was licking herself incessantly and after I kept getting on to her, I finally decided to get up and see what she was licking. After examining her body and not finding anything I grabbed her face and there it was. She had rubbed her face pretty much raw and was licking her foot and rubbing her face. I got up, cleaned it and went online to try and figure out what the heck was going on. This was around 3 A.M. so Scuttle and I came out into the living room so we wouldn't disturb daddy! I went to one of my favorite places, http://www.englishbulldognews.com/, and posted on the forum to see if anyone had any advice but also looked at other postings for help. I didn't find anything and decided that I wouldn't be able to do anything until the morning anyways so we slept on the floor together. Mainly so I could keep her from licking and so we could both could get a little rest.
The next morning I had to get up early because I'm a tutor with http://www.classicalconversations.com/ where my son also attends once a week. As soon as the vet's office opened I made her an appointment and they were able to get her in as soon as I was done with my class. The doctor did a culture to see if it was yeast and it turned up negative but she did have a bacteria infection! So, a shot and three other prescriptions later we were on our way to health once again. It's been 10 days and she is pretty much back to her spunky self!
And lets talk about that spunk! The girl has got personality! She is so spunky and loving in the mornings. I really enjoy watching her get excited as the kids get up and sleepily make their way into the living room. Her little behind shakes and she paws at them for attention. She full of it in the morning!
She is still a bit of a scaredy-cat. She tries to attack the vacuum and still runs from loud noises but overall she is doing great. She's eating when her food is down instead of waiting like she did when we first got her. She's barking a bit more, which I find funny because our Golden doesn't bark at all and when she barks, he barks! I'm still hoping for the day when she will rest with ease. She will literally stand completely still with her eyes closed and start swaying. I just wish she would lay down and sleep! One day :)
Well, there's an update for now! I'll try to post more on a regular basis.
About a week and a half ago, Scuttle was licking herself incessantly and after I kept getting on to her, I finally decided to get up and see what she was licking. After examining her body and not finding anything I grabbed her face and there it was. She had rubbed her face pretty much raw and was licking her foot and rubbing her face. I got up, cleaned it and went online to try and figure out what the heck was going on. This was around 3 A.M. so Scuttle and I came out into the living room so we wouldn't disturb daddy! I went to one of my favorite places, http://www.englishbulldognews.com/, and posted on the forum to see if anyone had any advice but also looked at other postings for help. I didn't find anything and decided that I wouldn't be able to do anything until the morning anyways so we slept on the floor together. Mainly so I could keep her from licking and so we could both could get a little rest.
The next morning I had to get up early because I'm a tutor with http://www.classicalconversations.com/ where my son also attends once a week. As soon as the vet's office opened I made her an appointment and they were able to get her in as soon as I was done with my class. The doctor did a culture to see if it was yeast and it turned up negative but she did have a bacteria infection! So, a shot and three other prescriptions later we were on our way to health once again. It's been 10 days and she is pretty much back to her spunky self!
And lets talk about that spunk! The girl has got personality! She is so spunky and loving in the mornings. I really enjoy watching her get excited as the kids get up and sleepily make their way into the living room. Her little behind shakes and she paws at them for attention. She full of it in the morning!
She is still a bit of a scaredy-cat. She tries to attack the vacuum and still runs from loud noises but overall she is doing great. She's eating when her food is down instead of waiting like she did when we first got her. She's barking a bit more, which I find funny because our Golden doesn't bark at all and when she barks, he barks! I'm still hoping for the day when she will rest with ease. She will literally stand completely still with her eyes closed and start swaying. I just wish she would lay down and sleep! One day :)
Well, there's an update for now! I'll try to post more on a regular basis.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
4th Week
Wow...I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already! Time flies! Scuttle has been such a great addition to our family. She still has her quirks and funny things that she does. And digging. What can I say. The dog LOVES to dig :) Just about every time she comes in from the backyard her cheeks are covered in dirt. It's quite funny but we're going to have to work on her and the digging. Not to mention with all the rain we've had, she loves to drink water out of just about anything no matter what's in it. Soil can be floating on top of the water and it won't matter to Scuttle! She just goes for it. I think it's time to put the flower pots away until next Spring. Also, I can't wait for the day we get to take her to the beach. I wonder how she'll react to it. I will definitely have to have the camera with me on that day!
So there you go! A great update. Oh! And her eye is doing much better. The pimple like bump seems to be completely gone and the cherry eye associated with it is too. I really think the bump was agitating the eye causing the cherry eye. Then again, I am no doctor. He'll have the final say :)
So there you go! A great update. Oh! And her eye is doing much better. The pimple like bump seems to be completely gone and the cherry eye associated with it is too. I really think the bump was agitating the eye causing the cherry eye. Then again, I am no doctor. He'll have the final say :)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Bath Day
On a rainy day, what better thing to do than to give the dogs a bath! We did Scuttle first and she did pretty good. Next, Sailor got a bath and he always does great. He just stands there until we tell him it's time to get out. So....here are some pictures :) I love it when Sailor gets a bath because he's so fluffy!
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| He's getting his ears cleaned...he pretty much hates it! |
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| Here he is rubbing his freshly cleaned ear on the ground :) |
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| "Oh, yeah!" |
Here are some Pictures of Scuttle getting groomed :)
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| Getting a soft brush. |
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| Wrinkles cleaned...check! |
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| Time to get the collar on! She's so happy! |
And then there are a few photos just to make you smile!
The dogs smell great, they're happy and so are we!
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| I LOVE these photos! |
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| A little playtime while they dry |
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| She almost took it! |
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