Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tag Archives: Dog People
DogDaz Zoo: When They Tell You Your Dog Is Mentally Ill
I wrote the first part of this post in 2016 and never published it. When Sofie was a puppy (born November 2010), other than being a bit whiney and barky in her first few months, she seemed like every other puppy I ever had. Thinking back, maybe she was a bit more strong-willed than others. It was harder to get her to listen to commands, but I figured that was her Sheltie/herding dog lineage and a vet told me she just needed a flock of sheep, or pride of cats, to work with every day.
Being the pet Mom that I am, I did Clicker training; I tried positive reinforcement with treats; I hired private trainers (twice); I even trained with an e-collar (before I knew it was not a good thing to train with). And, for a long time, she was great off leash and listened when I requested her attention. The only thing that I have never been able to get under control was her barking. She has super sonic hearing and barks at the slightest breeze.
When I look back at the list of things that I worked on with the first trainer when Sofie was about 6 months old, I see that the list hasn’t changed much in 6 years. (1) Barking at everything; (2) whining; (3) chasing cats. I can say that I taught her many things: not to jump on people, and how to sit, stay, come, stop, down, paw, leave it, drop it, up (in the car or on a bed), ‘Don’t’ (‘No’ is Louise’s word, so I used ‘Don’t’ for Sofie, so they wouldn’t get confused), find me (it’s a game we play), and place. I am pretty sure that she understands ‘quiet,’ but that she just doesn’t obey the command when I say it.
I feel like a failure. I have had 6 dogs in my life, and I have never had a dog with as many issues as Sofie.
Sofie’s challenges
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Thunder anxiety (always)
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Separation anxiety (sometimes)
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Hyper noise sensitivity (always)
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General, everyday, life anxiety
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Night terrors. Waking several times at night from sleep and starting to bark and go crazy as if something is attacking her.
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Dislikes puppies and any dog that lick her face
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Skin issues (mostly in warm weather)
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Breathing issues (whizzing and asthma like)
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Digestive issues
How things manifest
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Comfort sucking: She sucks on fabric, on the bed blankets, on toys (her favorites are catnip toys), even sometimes on my pants while I am wearing them. Sometimes she will ‘flank suck’ on herself, but that is rare.
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She pants, a lot, no matter the weather
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She whines
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She barks at everything
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She barks at dogs, people, trucks, anything passing the house, even if she can’t see them.
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She barks at deliveries leaving a package at the any door (and of course my daughter buys everything online).
3 different Veternarians over the years have told me she suffers from some form of mental instablity. At the end of the day, what does that mean?
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Fast forward to 2019 – to be continued…..
After 8 years, Sofie continues to be a challenge in a multi-animal household.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wordy Wednesday: I want to be your background
Mini Cooper is jealous that Noel is the background on Mom’s computer. Mini wants to be the background or at least the screen saver. Maybe next month Mini.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wordless Wednesday: Selfie With Mom
Mommy has a hard time getting a picture with us so she took a picture of her reflection in the front door while we were looking out at her. It shows all of us in one shot. V is also in the picture if you look really hard.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wonderful Wednesday: Louise = Love
DogDaz Zoo is sending you all the love in the world from our zoo to yours!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wordless Wednesday: What A Boring Stupid Bowl
Mom made me watch something called the ‘Stupid Bowl.’
It was a real snoozer
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wordy Wednesday: Whose Nose Is Better?
Noses are so interesting, I decided to do a small study of them.
Did you know that cats have about 80 to 200 million odor-sensitive olfactory receptor cells in their nose? That sounds pretty amazing since humans only have about 5 million. That makes a cat’s sense of smell significantly better than humans. Cats also have an organ on the top of their mouth which helps them smell (I bet you didn’t know that).
Dogs have about 150 to 300 million odor-sensitive olfactory receptor cell depending on the breed. Dog’s super ability to smell is enhanced by their long snouts and also by the structure of their brains which is wired for smelling hundreds of different scents all at the same time. Dogs also have an extra organ in their nasal passages to help pick up smells.
It is an interesting debate regarding who has a better smell ability, cats or dogs. The more I read on the internet, the more different articles disagreed.
Who do you think has the better smelling ability – cats or dogs?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wordless Wednesday: Long Afternoon
Some days just go on and on. There seems to be endless time between breakfast and dinner.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wonderful Wednesday: Lulu Update
We went back to visit the nice lady Veterinary specialist and she said that I am doing a lot better. She says that I have Inflammatory Bowel Disease* (IBD) of the upper and lower GI tract and Pancreatitis. Mom has been giving me B12 shots once a week for the last 6 weeks (I am not very happy about that) but they are now going to start to be once a month. They are decreasing my prednisone little by little, though I am going to be taking this for a long time. At my checkup appointment, I hid under the chair that Mom was sitting in so that the Dr would not see me (if I can’t see them, they can’t see me – right?).
Going to the Vet makes me scared and excited. I don’t like it very much. Thankfully, if I keep improving, I won’t have to go to often.
This prednisone stuff makes me super hungry. Mom finds me begging and scavenging for food, which I never did before. That was always Sofie and Charles’ deal. I have put back on some weight, which doesn’t bother me, but Mom is afraid the Dr is going to yell. And, I drink water all the time. All 3 dogs bowls and Charles’ little bowl are empty constantly. Mom is feeding me this expensive Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein (wet and dry), which the Dr says is the best for me, with an occasional hypoallergic dog treat. So far, it seems to be working.
I guess that is all for now. I am happy to be feeling better. Thank you all for the healing energy.
– Louise
*Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a condition that results when cells involved in inflammation and immune response infiltrate the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This makes the wall of the GI tract thick and interferes with the bowels ability to move and absorb food. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association defines IBD as an inflammatory infiltration for which no specific cause can be found. This means they try to stop the inflammation and relieve the problem without ever really knowing why it happens. Approximately 50-70% of affected dogs have good long-term outcomes from initial treatment. IBD is not curable and flare-ups can happen throughout the dog’s life. (This is just for your information. I am not a vet or any kind of doctor. I am just a DogMom.)
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
DogDaz Zoo: Season’s Greetings
From all of us at DogDaz Zoo,
we wish you the happiest of holidays and
a wonderful NEW YEAR!
We will return on Caturday January 5, 2019, and
look forward to entertaining you for another year!
(in order of age)
Noel (the Christmas cat),
Charles (the Mugwump),
Louise (aka Lulu Belle),
Sofie Bear,
Mr. Nine,
Stella,
and
Mini Cooper
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
