Houston says Happy Thanksgiving!

Past three days have been fairly uneventful - I've worked longer hours (temporarily) and so our guys had to stay in their crates a few extra hours and Houston was in the front by himself a little longer. All good though. I love mornings when I can sleep in because I'm usually nudged (or jumped on) awake by Ringo or Lola. Houston will come in the bedroom and stare, maybe give me a little whine that I should get my butt out of bed. This morning though, Ringo came up to greet me, and then with approval looks from both myself and Ringo, along with a little pat on the bed, Houston jumped up with us and then this commenced on my lap:

Snapped an action pic in the middle of it:

And then Lola came back to see what all the fuss was about. All three of these dogs use their front paws alot in play:

I can't tell if Houston is disturbed by Lola's smiles or if they're pissing him off:)

They'll have to stay by themselves while we're over stuffing ourselves but they'll be ready for more play this evening. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Houston through the week of November 14-19th, 2016

We have fed all the dogs together (in the same room) but it seems easier for now to feed Houston in the laundry room and our guys in the mudd room (separated by a short baby gate that noone jumps over). He doesn't have his cone on while he eats.

Houston doesn't seem picky at all regarding food- he came with some Blue Buffalo, Life Protection Formula, Large Breed Adult, Chicken and Brown Rice. We're feeding him this and adding some supplements we give our guys as a topping- a green blend formula and salmon oil, along with a green lippid mussel powder we used to give our older Weims for joints and such (to him for his old wound) - all to assist in helping his coat and general well-being.  We feed our animals a raw diet and Houston has gotten a few pieces of beef heart and chicken leg quaters/necks and gobbles it down (just saying, he'd go that route in a heartbeat).

I was a little concerned about how Ringo would take another older male dog in the house but he has been such an accepting fella (so proud of him!). He is "my boy" though and there have been a few cases of guarding me, but not much and not as much now that we've been together a week. I did let Houston on the bed one night and when Ringo came to jump up on the bed, Houston guarded him (barking loudly and lunging at him) and Ringo backed down (and everyone was ordered off the bed). That said, yesterday morning, Lola came in while I was still in bed and I pulled her up with me, and then Ringo came in and got on the bed. Houston came trotting in (with his cone on) and after a little pacing, decided he was going to jump on the bed also. Lola and Ringo were laying on me mostly, and Houston just curled up on the end that was available and we all shared the bed in peace for about half an hour (all so good).

We try to give Houston as much time without his cone as possible, but we've quickly learned that even if your eyes are constantly on him, he might try to get a lick in. It doesn't seem like a compulsive thing, but looking at how the wound heals, the skin gets dry and tight and we could see where if he moves the right way it would bother him and he'd go for it. Instead of feeling sorry for him, we just put the cone back on him for the sake of getting that wound healed up. When his cone is on, I've been putting an organic healing balm on it to help soften it as it heals and to help reduce itching (my mom says this stuff was the only thing that kept her from going insane when she had the shingles!). And btw, that wound does NOT keep him from doing anything (if you couldn't tell from the videos of him and Ringo playing). You can see how he sits a little different (that leg out a little-I'll try to get a good picture) but that seems to be because of the way the surface wound is healing and not to do with something on the inside.

Best trait he seems to have? The rapt attention he gives you with his eyes:) Have a bad day at work? Houston will listen to everything you have to say with intense attention (especially if your bad day had you reaching for a snack.....it'll prolly make everything better if you share a little with this boy). He's a leaner (meaning he'll stand next to you and "lean in" so don't move on him!), and he does like to direct you with his snout. He does get mouthy during play and so I try not to get him riled up and let him and Ringo take it out on each other. He was previously living with a 2.5 year old and as long as no one was screwing around, I could see where he would be a-ok with the rugrats. Second best thing about Houston? The fact he's 7 and not 2. He is at that perfect age where he still likes a good romp, makes an excellent running/walking buddy, but he doesn't NEED this stuff 24/7. He's fine chilling in the house but ready when you're feeling more adventurous. I already mentioned he rides well in the car. He does pull on the leash (not constantly) but listens to you (except when there are cats involved and I'm guessing other little darting creatures) and corrects. He learns - we have chickens and yes he was on point with them and yes he wanted to go after them and I did let him once.....right into the electric fence that surrounds them. He remembers that fence. I guarantee those chickens are not safe from him if they're outside that fence though.

He sits well next to his new buddy, Ringo:

He curls up nicely in the bathroom while his human showers:

I must add that he also has the genetic predisposition to automatically start licking the air when that human busts out the body lotion (what is that about dogs??). I mean it's even before I put any lotion on!

Speaking of genetic predispositions, he has little to no immunity to the power of the deathray. He'll even make himself small enough to fit in the only available one:

Here he is in the living room with his cone on. This isn't just a single soft cone, his previous owner had to get tricky with it and sew another cone onto that one to make it long enough for him to not be able to get at the wound on his leg. It's held on by another collar that's looped through the base of the cone. He can get to water with this thing on (and cats - there was another near miss this morning - Cat is determined to be back in the house (not surprising) and got out of the barn office by darting through legs and then snuck up to the front door and darted in the house with Houston in the front room - again, all were separated without harm, although Jim was the human around at the time again and his blood pressure is suffering from the shock - he likes both Cat and Houston and it sucks that Houston won't allow to have the cats around):

And here he is by my desk last night as I wrote about him on the blog. 

And here are more videos of how well Houston gets along with the other pups in the house. I think he would do very well by getting to go to (always supervised) play dates to stay socialized with other dogs and get to play and get his rough-housing on! He likes play with other dogs much better than a game of fetch, although he'd love to have his own Kruuse cube and a few good bones to chew on by himself (see the links before to see his specific recommendations on toys - he asked I add this one also).

Houston at the dog park

Sunday, November 13, 2016 - I recently found out about an offleash dog park near us (Greencastle, IN). I took Ringo and Houston up there to watch Houston off leash. He was very interested in sniffing around but didn't immediately go crazy when I took his leash off. There were dogs in the fenced area next to us and he went to investigate and pee at them, otherwise, he didn't care too much.

I had brought Ringo his chuck-it wand and balls (he is a fetcher, through and through) but Houston wasn't really interested in playing fetch. A few times he tried to interest Ringo in a little one on one play in the yard, but since Ringo was only interested in fetch, he brushed him off. Houston didn't stick by my side the whole time but if I called him , he came. And didn't he look like the happy go-lucky pup he is when he ran to me:)

Just in case anyone was wondering, the pink collar he's sporting here is our Lola's (he came with a choke collar and I prefer the martingale type - I ordered him his own and you'll see it in future posts but this is it on amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084DU1WC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It was a beautiful day outside and he would have loved just getting to lay out in the sun for awhile.

After the dog park, things went downhill for the humans in the house. I had apparently picked up some kind of stomach bug and went down hard and fast (I work in a public high school so not a big surprise:). Jim got home that evening when I was incapacitated and while he knew I had separated the cats from the dogs, he soon found out exactly why - he had Houston on a leash and took the dogs to the barn and through the barn office (where the cats were at) and when Houston caught sight of our little Bridget (6 pound Manx) he lunged at her (she got away) and then took after Cat in the barn. Cat pulled the claws out and let Houston know he was being an ass and while she managed to get away also, Houston took away some bloody ears (which have since healed nicely). The bloody ears didn't seem to faze him at all either. Everyone in the household fed, watered, separated as necessary, cone on Houston so he can't get to his wound..........Jim didn't start feeling bad until later that evening and we'll just end the post there. 

Houston (aka Hootie) - November 12, 2016

I drove down to Seymour, IN on Saturday, November 12th to meet and pick up Mr. Houston. I walked around with him and his owners for a bit before loading him and his belongings into my car and we were off. I chose to have him wear his cone (so he wouldn't mess with his wound that we're trying to get healed up once and for all!) on the trip so I didn't have to worry about him. I honestly forgot he was back there he was so quiet!

I put him in our detached garage and then brought Ringo and Lola (our pups) out for the meet and greet. Went really well!

I let Houston play with one of the pups Kruuse cubes (kibble inside as treats). He loved it! He does have a guarding tendency though so all play with toys has been closely monitored.

Cat (one of 2 cats here) was at the front door of the house when we arrived. Houston was on his leash. He saw her and became very excited and I opened the door to allow him to stick his nose in and he jumped at her - she stayed put for a second and then when he dove at her again, she ran and hid. I took this as a bad sign for him getting along with cats since Cat is a very dog savvy cat and I've never seen her run from one. I think she sensed he was more than just curious. After that, I immediately took both cats and have them shacked up in our barn office (it's heated).

So, cats out of the house, just us and the pups. Our guy, Ringo, is half blue heeler, half Australian Shepherd. He tends to have guarding tendencies also and so, I don't have any toys out and the dogs just play with each other. Houston seems to be great at this (and Ringo has been really enjoying it), although he does tend to use his front paws alot during play and so would need fur friends that can handle this. Ringo is a pretty rugged guy and this type of play works just fine with him. I see alot of good give and take in their play (they take turns being on their backs and such) and everyone's "dog" language seems to be what is needed and no more (telling each other what they do and don't like during play and then moving on - no overly aggressive acts shown).

Cuba - 1.27.2016 - 2.02.2016

So for last week:

• Cuba did very well at her spay appointment last Tuesday. Got spayed, nails trimmed, 4DX testing done (heartworm and Lyme negative!), and microchip installed. Awesome sauce. Vet tech said she was an awesome gal all day. No signs of any kind of anxiety while there. She was, however, ready to go home that afternoon, but super groggy - she was offered food and water when we got home, but all she wanted to do was sleep, and sleep she did, in my chair, all evening and all night. 
• While she felt mucho better the next day, we were trying to take it easy. We had a small adventure when Cuba and I took the truck up to town to get a few things from the grocery store, and the trucks clutch decided to call it quits. Good thing my in-laws run a repair shop and wrecker service near by! My brother in law picked us up shortly after I called, and Cuba and I got our first ride in a rollback. We felt like we were so high in the air we were practically flying!
• Laid low the next few days. Getting spayed and riding in a rollback were enough for both of us:)
• Saturday came - we helped my mother-in-law with her grand opening of her new grooming and boarding facility for pups and kittehs (just a few miles down the road no less!). Cuba and Ringo went with me and both got to show off the new housing arrangements for all the guests that came by! Cuba did so well! She even got to play with the owner's dog, Hank, who also happens to be the most awesome Newfoundland ever (I think they're all pretty cool). Cuba even had a few people checking her out, thinking she might just be the addition to their family they had always dreamed of:) She is a gorgeous gal and so sweet:)
• Monday - Heartworm preventive for all this morning! Woo-hoo! Cuba and I had some serious errands to run in Bloomington! Took my car (even though the truck got the clutch fixed, I felt Cuba was doing so well in it, we might as well go with the more comfy option of the CR-V). We made 8 stops total that day (me getting out at each of them), with Cuba getting out at most of them, if nothing more than to stretch her legs. The shortest stop was about 15 minutes and the longest was Sams Club (of course) at about an hour. I HAVE to give her props on the temptation I gave her of sitting in the car with the Sam Club loot while I ran into another store - she absolutely did NOT touch a thing. And when she stays in my car, she hops in the front seat when I get out, and sits there. No pawing at the door or anything - maybe a bark to let me know she's waiting, but that's it. Got a quick video of her walking quite well on a leash while we got the car washed at the Honda dealership.

Have snagged some other good pics of Cuba and the gang over the past week. Here is what I've been going to bed to every night (hubs is already snuggled in):

I was petting Ringo under our bed one night, and Cuba couldn't help but peer over to see what was going on:

Her and Ringo have really done well together (he's pretty popular with the ladies:):

Just a girl and her dog (when the girl and her hubby have told the dog repeatedly she can't be on the chairs right now since THEY wanted to sit in them:). She LOVES to have her ears rubbed......

And finally, the Weims chewing their bones, while the other pups looked on. They all look like they've been hooked up to chargers. So weird when it happens.

Cuba-01.26.2016

Took Cuba with me yesterday morning for a doc appointment. I could see her in the truck from the waiting room. I never heard any barking from her, but she was very attentive to everyone that came through the office doors. She did finally give up watching for me since she was laying down in my seat when I came back out:)

She seems to like riding in the truck more so than my car (prolly cause she's up front with me). Look at that sweet face!

I consider this extra proof she's fine with cats:

Just dropped her off to get spayed, nails trimmed, and heartworm checked. Fingers crossed all goes well. She was such a good girl in the waiting room!

Cuba-evening 01.24.2016

So the trip to the in-laws fenced yard went well today. Cuba definitely needs time to run around and sniff things off leash. Even sniffing the electric fence didn't deter her curiosity for long (but did keep her away from that part of the fence). She got to spend a few hours at least, running around in the backyard (prolly a few acres in size) with tons of other dogs. All sizes, shapes, and sexes of dogs too, and she did very well with all. Even Ringos mom, who kept coming after Cuba and nipping her, got ignored by Cuba, while Cuba was running around doing her sniffing thang.

Something we've noticed about her-many times when we go to pet our own guys, she comes up and starts whining and barking. Jealousy? Anyways, she did it to the hubs tonight when he was petting Lola and he started roughly petting Cubas head..... Long story short, Miss Cuba seems to like a little roughhousing. I didn't get any video of it, but he was willing to look past her loud barking and whining and play with her and she really loved it! As noted by her coming back for more and more, and you could tell she was playing by the soft mouthing she was doing with him (but looking very mean at the same time). And then she was QUIET. She can be very loud when she wants something:) That seemed to be it, because we haven't heard a peep from her since!

She's going to run some errands with me in the morning and then her spay date is coming up Tuesday. I ordered some more bones for the house but they won't get here until Tuesday. They've all been sharing what we have very nicely though.

Cuba - 01.24.2016

1st thing - I haven't been humped since I last wrote about it. Distraction works, woohoo!

I've been home with everyone for the last few days. We go outside a lot to do business and take walks. Cuba does her business pretty much right away (bless her, it's cold out!). Last night, hubby got home and said he'd take all the dogs out (it was still light) for a quick walk (Cuba on her leash). She had NO PROBLEM leaving me in the house and going with him. I thought it was significant. She did well on the walk too (still pulled, and he said he thought she wanted to be walking with the pups, but we don't want to chance it).

Cuba got to meet Mable (next door great dane) yesterday. She happened to be in our yard (hasn't been for awhile-I suspect one of their kids let her out without the parents knowing). Again, wish I had a fenced in yard to allow the meet and greets! I was the only adult out there with what started out with our 3 plus Cuba, plus Mable - then other neighbor dogs showed up (2 others). I was still the only adult and so, I rounded my crew up and we went back inside (although I think everyone would have played really well together, I called UNCLE without any other adults out there to help me in case anyone got to be acting up).

Got a picture of Cuba and Ringo on our bed the other morning. One of them had just dropped the SACRED BONE (of the day), and I'm pretty sure I heard them debating over who was gonna get off the bed and get it. These two do pretty well together - I always thought it was going to be Lola that would be the great one with the foster dogs in the house, but it's really Ringo. He's so accepting, willing to play, doesn't get his feelings hurt very easily.

Another one of her on the bed, right before bedtime. Yes, she's still sleeping with us. She's a pretty darn good bedmate, although I'd still splurge on a king size bed if it would fit in our room!

I can't sneak up on her very well, but she's so comfy in her situation right now, she doesn't need to be beside me every second, and has situated herself in a very lethal DEATHRAY by the south facing window in the house. 

Jim has Lola with him, working over at his dad's house this morning. My plan is to take the rest of these guys over there soon and let them play in the fenced in back yard they have. It'll be the first time Cuba will get to really be off leash since she got here. I think off-leash time is gonna be vital to helping her get over the separation anxiety and general anxiety she has.

Cuba for FB and PF posts

Hello! My name is Cuba and I am a very sweet 6-year old female Weim, who just wasn't getting the attention I needed and deserved in my last home, which, paired with some separation anxiety (and I was home in my crate, without my humans ALOT), led me to be a little destructive there.  Because of this destruction (and some other traits that are very Weimy of me but weren't fully appreciated there), my previous owner surrendered me to the LWR and I now live with my foster parents in Quincy, IN, along with my 3 foster brother and sister dogs, and 2 foster cats. The cats are okay by me and I'm starting to warm up and play with the other dogs in the house already (see my foster-bro, Ringo and I playing so well with our toy below!).

Although my foster mom hasn't been able to take me to a fenced in area, I've really liked playing fetch in the house with tennis balls (played with caution since it's a small house), I like playing tug with the squeaky toy (shown above), and have grabbed a few chew toys to gnaw on when I'm bored. I've really made myself quite comfy since getting here! Since my recall isn't as up to par as my foster mom would like, she has me walk outside on a leash and asks me to sit before taking the leash on and off (which I'm very good about) and we're working on me not acting like I'm pulling a sled when we get outside. She says a good off-leash romp in a dog park or fenced yard would be terrific in and of itself, but also before a walk (I've got some energy to burn-remember me saying a was a little destructive in my previous home?). Oh yeah, and I take treats very well (after I sit for them of course)! Here's me waiting so patiently for a treat....

I've got my appointment to be spayed next week so stay tuned for more updates..........

Cuba - 01.21.2016

Recommendation on the humping (never thought about it this way but it really makes sense!):

"This is actually a better trait to have when things get exciting than fighting with the other dogs, which is what a lot of dogs choose to do when the pack gets riled up.

Best thing to do for this is to try to anticipate when it's going to happen, and give her something else to do in place of the humping.  Sounds like a tennis ball would be a good choice.  There are little mesh bags you can buy, almost like a bait bag (which you could also use as well) that holds a tennis ball and you can clip on your pants.  This way you would have it immediately when needed.  Ideally you would throw her ball BEFORE she starts the "action," so you would need to pinpoint when she likes to do it and derail the behavior before it happens.  Eventually, when the pack gets riled, she will look at you and say, "where's my ball? where's my ball? The pack is excited!"  Give that a try :)"

Working on this!

Have left Cuba in the barn and barn office various times over the past few days while I took care of the chickens. She's stayed in there by herself and with the other dogs. I haven't found anything destroyed and I don't hear any loud ruckus. Times left alone vary from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. Left her in the house while I ran out to get the mail today - she could see me the whole time so no biggie.

Took her to town with me today (in our old Ford Ranger) and had to leave her in the truck about 15 minutes while I ran in for an errand. She looked to be patiently waiting for me on my side when I returned. The shifter was still completely intact too ( I figured that would be the easiest thing to start destroying:)

She's still sleeping in bed with us - would be nicer if our bed was bigger. Or maybe the hubs could sleep in the spare room......

Took an opportunity yesterday morning to try Cuba off leash. Her recall needs some work! She's easy enough to put on a leash every time and so I think I'll just stick with that (be on the safe side-her recall work can be done in a securely fenced area). I have her sit before both putting on her leash and taking it off and she's very good about it every time. She does pull on the leash (I've seen worse though), but I think she'll get alot better about it with some consistent work. She doesn't seem to mind it much at all (although again, I think she needs some off leash running time, play time in a big yard on a regular basis-would help to do BEFORE a walk on the leash).

Caught a good video of her and Ringo playing well with a sqeaky pull toy this afternoon!

And another one of her and Gracie in a bark off (split into the next 2 videos)? Sometimes it seems like everyone just wants to bark out some steam - I mean, I get it - and I must say, Cuba has a very nice, deep bark (I asked Ringo to take note of it since his is such an unmanly, high pitched yip:). You can hear her whine in between bouts of true barking. Don't know if I should allow these bark-offs, but I do monitor them for tone changes and stop it when it goes south (or I just can't take it anymore).

Tried to grab a good profile shot of Cuba on our walk today. She has such a beautiful one!

I've monitored her pretty close since she's been with me. She'll follow me from room to room some, and we've walked right by the kitty litter box many times (she's acknowledged it but didn't try to grab anything), and been around the kitty feed bowls with food in them (I called her away when her nose was wandering and she came away without touching a thing). Time to work more on the crate training.......

Mindy - adopted!!!!!! 10.2.2015

Totally didn't give Mindy an update when she got adopted this past fall! A wonderful family came down to see her and another local pup being fostered in Spencer, in September and then made the long trip (like over 3 hours) back down to pick BOTH girls up on October 2, 2015.

That's Bonnie on the left (smaller dog) and Mindy on the right. We could hardly get a non-blurry picture, those girls were so excited!!!!!

And a nice little follow up picture of Mindy settling in to her forever home quite nicely:)

Happy tails to them both!!!!!!

Cuba - 01.19.2016

Sharing the love this fostering go-round with another rescue volunteer (we live within 25 minutes of each other)!

Cuba stayed with Becky on Sunday night and then I picked her up Monday just before noon. Not only did Cuba get to stay with Becky that night, she got to go to work with her the next day (for a half day at least:)! So she's already getting some good exposure to different settings and people. We went to my house after I picked her up, and there she got to meet my crew (Ringo, Lola, Gracie, Cat, and Bridget). She's not that interested in the cats, although if Ringo starts to chase one, she'll jump in on the action (but without really paying attention to what she's supposed to do when they catch up with the cat). And meeting our pups didn't seem too overwhelming for her. 

I followed her alot throughout the day, and she did seem pretty curious/interested in things, but I never saw her try to take anything or even put her mouth on things. I can see though where she got labeled as a counter-surfer:) She followed me quite a bit at first, but really settled in not too long after we got home. She'd had quite a bit of new things going on in the past 24 hours and I think that caught up to her. My chair must have been whispering to her.....

For her 3 meals with me so far, I've fed her in the crate we set up for her and she hasn't seemed to have much of an issue being in it (to eat at least). I've left the room while she was eating (which she's NOT hesitant about at all) but didn't stay gone long. I haven't made her stay in it much past when she's done either. 

I feed our 3 dogs out front and let her sit beside me while we watch them eat, and as soon as they're done, everyone gets to lick bowls clean.

One thing I noticed early on last night and again tonight - when she gets pretty excited (particularly when the other dogs are riled up too), she has grabbed my leg and started to HUMP. I had a hard time prying her off tonight - can someone explain to me why dogs hump???? We hadn't heard anything about this behavior (or action) but I can see where that is a less than pleasing trait to have:) I'm thinking what she really needs is some regular time outside getting to run and play fetch. Ringo brought me a tennis ball tonight and just 2 nights into being in our house, Cuba wanted to PLAY too. Our house isn't big but I tossed the ball down the hallway and she went after it with the other pups. And she had that look in her eye that said THROW IT!!!! 

Oops, almost forgot to mention, I've been keeping her on a leash every time we go out. Her nose is straight to the ground when we go out, and while her prey drive hasn't been there with the cats (I wonder if it would be different outside though) or the little dogs she used to live with, she pulls on the leash quite a bit when outside, and I'm not sure about her recall yet. I think she's better on the leash when we're actually walking (on a mission forward), versus just putzing around waiting for everyone to do their business. Took all the dogs a few times so far (her on a leash) for a walk (about a mile roundtrip) in the field behind us and she wasn't too bad on the leash. I'd like to try her on an actual walking trail or sidewalk. 

Nope, I still suck at being organized with these reports. I had some errands to run today and, since we're not wanting to leave her alone just yet, took her back to Becky's work while I did my stuff. She was a little anxious after I left and never really took a good nap, but did settle down in various spots throughout the day. Her stools were a little runny this morning, but are firming up again (to be expected). She seemed happy to see me when I came to pick her up.

And back to last night (before I forget to confess) - as soon as hubby was home, she followed him around the house just as much as she did me. When we went to bed last night, she hopped right up on our bed (Queen size - just to throw that out there) and when I asked the hubs what his thoughts were on the issue, he said "she sure settles down well." I did wake up when she decided to do a 180 in the middle of the night, otherwise, she stayed pretty still and right between us all night. I was okay with it since she hadn't shown any signs of protecting the bed once she was up there. Ringo jumped up this morning (after the hubs got up - that's too much dog with everyone up there!) and she seemed okay with it. We'll see if this is a regular occurrence or a once in awhile thing.  She seems pretty content for now in my chair again, as I'm sitting at my computer desk writing this.....

Cuba - p/u 01.17.2016

Meet Cuba - she was relinquished by her owner because Cuba's destructiveness had become too much (on top of many other things she was dealing with). Had only been with that family for about a year - previously from a family that was moving and couldn't take her (not much known about that previous home).

All WE know so far is that she was super sweet on the ride back with us and is now relaxing on her own couch (and loves treats and ear rubs - I mean, come ON!).