Lessons Not Learned
John and I watched the first night of grooming class, since we were going to Lia’s this afternoon. We decided to trim Flower. Too bad we didn’t start with the paws and private areas. We started with the easy part, clipping the body and then switched to pulling hair out of her ears, which we accomplished.
She was doing so good that we decided to take her collar and leash off, to trim her neck better, but she got crazy, tried to jump off our makeshift grooming table, and succeeded.
We should have stopped there, but Cesar says to stop training sessions on your terms. I think that would include teaching them to be groomed. I tracked her down and put her collar and leash back on her. I should have probably just put her back up on the grooming table, but instead, I decided she could have another walking lesson.
She pulls out of all three harnesses we have, so the leash had to do. She wore herself out fighting John and then pulled out of her collar and scampered across the yard wildly for several minutes. I opened the door to lure her inside, but when she came in, she saw I had blocked her flight into the living room. She ran back outside and in several times, until finally she gave up, panting heavily.
John sat down by her on the porch and stayed there for several minutes. I went inside and cut up some hot dog pieces. She took them from me when they came in. She also came up to visit me on the couch several times, even after the grooming and leash incidences. I think I should be the one to try to get her to walk next time. We might have better results, and John won’t look like he’s always the bad guy.
The Potty Patch
When I took back the last contraption I bought (Wee Wee On-Target Trainer) with the intention of house training the shih tzus, I asked the girl at PetSmart about the Potty Patch. The commercial says, “Is your house one big doggy bathroom?” Well, it seems like it is, so I was interested. This one looks like grass. A plastic tray sits on the floor, with some type of layer above that and a layer that looks like grass above that. It is supposed to make them think about the grass outside, I guess. I ended up buying one, hoping it would save on the cost of Wee-Wee pads and stop them from peeing on the carpet.
Since the girls continue to get us up early, and John is on vacation, we have been taking naps in the afternoon. For the most part, they let us sleep. Dottie came upstairs this afternoon and sat by the bed. She didn’t fight me when I picked her up and put her on it. She sat for a while and then lay down. When I woke up, she had jumped down.
The Independent Shih Tzu
Although Dottie was outside and saw the goings-on with Flower, Candy was upstairs in her room. She alternates between there and the corner in the dining room, but we had to take away her dining room option. We can’t do much about them tinkling on the living room carpet, but we decided to block off the dining room carpet by surrounding it with their plastic gate. That also blocked off one of Candy’s favorite spots, sorry to say.Since things are usually calm, unless we are trying to train someone, I don’t know why she feels the need to be alone so much. Is she trying to escape us and her sisters?
John has a theory that she chooses those places because they are probably cool, and it has been so hot this month, even with the swamp cooler. Also, there is a lamp that puts off quite a bit of heat near their corner in the living room. When she goes in the spare bedroom, she sits between the bed and the wall. John says she might like it there because the swamp cooler makes so much noise that she can’t hear anything else. She is so afraid of most noises, however, especially vacuums, that I would think she wouldn’t like the cooler noise. Maybe she is just used to it. When Candy did come downstairs, she went to her dining room corner and stayed there for a good part of the afternoon.
I have been wondering if I should move their beds to Candy’s dining room area, but that might prompt the other dogs to be more reclusive.
I love reading about the ladies, I also have a rescue his name is Einstein and am so happy he is a part of our lives. We did the Cesar video’s and books but I found that patience and persistance have been our greatest tools in setting him up for success. I think it is good that Candy is being more independent and that she is developing on her own. She is learning that it is okay to be on your own and that your home is a safe place. We have had Einstein for a year now and he is still learning, we have our good days and sometimes days where we regress back to before but the reward is well worth it. Keep it up, the girls are for all intents and purposes older puppies figuring out there personalities and there world. I always love to see how happy Einstein is, you definitely appreciate the “newness” of things. I admire you and your husbands large hearts for taking on three shih tzu’s and I hope in time you feel the rewards of your humanity.
Hello. I appreciate your comments. I smiled when I heard your rescue’s name is Einstein. That is one of my nicknames for Flower. What breed is he? I believe you about the greatest tool being patience and persistence. I remind myself often that they have only been with us for two months, and that there is a lot of history there that we don’t know. Candy’s independence surprises us, since when I visited them at their foster home, it seemed that Dottie and Flower constantly tried to protect her. Maybe that made her more independent? I like your perspective about her learning that it is okay to be on her own and that our home is a safe place. I hadn’t looked at it like that. I would love to hear more about Einstein. In fact, I would love to broaden this site to include successful rescue stories, like yours. Please let me know if you would be interested in sharing that way and keep in touch!