What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

[Shalista]

Momentous positive news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bax just let me know he had to go poop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Backstory: Ever since he switched to raw bax only poops about once every three days. He has never done any indication when he has to go, he usually just slinks off to go do it behind the couch. Since i started feeding him frozen peas and upping his food he's pooed every day for the past three days. Still, i wasnt looking for him to poo today since he did it just yesturday.

So today I've just been walking him in quick little pee runs because its cold and snowy and neither of us wants to be out there. well I'm in my room and Bax's heater is on and normally he just sacks out in front of it all day but for like fifteen minutes he's been whining and grumping to himself and laying down next to me or sitting next to me with his ears up and his eyes laser-locked on to me. the doors open but he doesn't leave he just sits there. I'm all "You peed 5 min ago, what the heck is wrong?" when i put on my thinking cap and decided to take him out for a long walk to see if he needed to poop. lo and behold we were out maybe three minutes when he squatted and pooped.

I'm so proud of him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Erica]

Oooooh yay!!!!!!! That's awesome Shalista!!!!

[JudyN]

Good boy Bax!

[Nettle]

That's great well done both of you.

[JudyN]

It's Jasper's seventh birthday today - where has the time gone? Someone pointed out to me today that as one dog year is equivalent to seven dog years, this means that since we've had him I have aged by 49 years - it's certainly felt like it at times

I can't believe he is approaching 'senior' - he still moves beautifully. And he's seemed particularly fit, happy, healthy and enjoying life in general recently. And responsive, obedient and well behaved - well, most of the time, anyway - and almost completely reliable with other dogs!

[Shalista]

Dawww hes such a handsome boy!!!

[Erica]

Awww, happy birthday Jasper!!! He is so beautiful

[MPbandmom]

Great news Shalista and Bax.

Happy Birthday Jasper!

[Nettle]

He is beyond gorgeous - a superb example of his type. And in lovely condition.

IME they don't really seem old until past 12. Avatar Lady is 13 (where does the time go?) but Babydog is 8 and still my "puppy". So Jas has ages yet before the pipe and slippers. Though possibly just ready for a rough tweed jacket with leather arm patches, cuffs and buttons, and his own armchair at the Club.....

[JudyN]

Jasper says 'Thank you!' and 'Do I get a treat for that, then?'

Though I see him more as a leather jacket & motorbike sort of dog than tweed jacket with arm patches

[Shalista]

Despite having a couple of accidents lately i feel like I'm FINALLY nailing Bax's pottying. He's been going by the door at night (with no whine of warning) so i've started dragging him out of bed everytime i wake up. (I get up a couple of times a night) and lo and behold no mess by the door today!

He's also whined every time he has to go poo! (even when i ignore him and he has an accident. He'd already pooed once today I thought he was just being a brat!)

So accidents? yes. But i feel like this new diet is working wonders for him. He's pooing at least once a day and promptly to, no dithering half an hr in a snowy field. Yay for frozen peas!

[Shalista]

So bax has been doing really well. he only had the accident the other day and he's been good since. my sister brought Ki down for the first time in months and WHOOOO boy. Bax pooped twice in the space of a few hours inside the house and then peed twice in the span of half an hour. He'd been doing so well on his potty training to i guess this settles once and for all that at least SOME of bax's potty training issues are because he has a serious bone to pick with Ki. the only downside is im not sure what to do with this information. If i lock him up every time Ki comes downstairs he'll just bark continuously in that ear-splitting terrier bark of his regardless of whether i kong him or not.

[Nettle]

Massive counter-conditioning will teach him that Ki is a Good Thing rather than something that upsets him so much he has to pee and poop from stress, and also to prove he has a right to live here. A part of the stress might be a change in tension among family members when Ki is downstairs.

Simplest ways would be to take him for a walk or play flirt pole outside with him when Ki appears, then have him in his room and do some scenting puzzle work with him, though I do appreciate it won't be convenient for you.

Now you know during/after a Ki appearance you must be extra vigilant for pee and poo moments.

[Shalista]

Bax had a little bit of a socialization growth spurt recently where he realized that pets outside of JUST neck scratchies actually felt pretty good! He now leans into you if you pet him on his side and butt too which is HUGE given that when he was a pup he didn't want to be touched AT ALL. ANYWHERE. EVER. i blame morning snuggle sessions for the improvement. When he gets up in the morning and is DETERMINED to get me up he will accept snuggles instead of me getting my butt out of bed. Gives me a few minutes to enjoy the warmth of the covers =P

I did come to a bit of a depressing realization. I've always giggled that when Bax REALLY loves you he will offer you.... his armpit. armpit scratchies are the ultimate sign of trust and not everyone gets the privilege. I always thought it was a cute quirk..... until i recently realized that i have never EVER seen bax on his back. not laying down, not scratching his own back, and certainly never offering for a tummy rub. I think armpit scratchies are the closest my poor insecure, nervous, little guy will come to getting his belly rubbed =(

Maybe with extra pets we'll get there someday? I'm okay with the privilege of armpit scratchies if not, i just would take a good belly rub as a sign he's finally relaxed a bit.

[Nettle]

Belly rub is PhD stuff - Bax is still at junior school Look back and think how far you have come. Belly-rubbing may or may not happen but it isn't a fault in either of you if it doesn't.