Ask Before You Pet!

There's two ways I like to vent: via group text with all my girl friends, and via my blog. Tonight, I've already vented to my friends, and now I feel the urge to get it out on my dog blog.

The subject: Asking an owner to pet their dog before petting (no matter how cute).

A 10 year old (or so) decided to run up from behind the dogs and me and pet Luna. Luna is a sweet heart, and has never snapped at a person. And the only time she snapped at a dog was to stand up for herself. She is not aggressive whatsoever, HOWEVER, strangers don't know this AND at the end of the day she is an animal and can bite or attack at any moment.

This kid, I figured was never told that he needs to ask before petting an animal. So I told him, "Hey, you know you need to ask before you pet a dog." And immediately he says he's sorry and corrects himself, asks me if its okay and I tell him he can proceed. All good in the hood.

I went on my merry way, and went to dinner at Selland's with Drew and the dogs, since there's outdoor seating. We are eating our food and minding our own business when a group of grown ass ladies literally "WEEE" of excitement and say "AWWW PUPPPPYYYYY!!" Then they put their hands through the fence of the outdoor patio to pet Luna and Skylar.

Not only did they not ask to pet these stranger's dogs, they were sticking their hands through a fence like it was a petting zoo. Hmmm...doesn't sound like a smart idea to me...Didn't some 8-year-old in Australian just get her hand bit off by a Malamute for sticking her hand in a fence to PET THE DOG? Yea that just happened...I wrote an opinion post on it (Read it here).

So I say something.

"Could you please not do that?" Kind of timid, because I don't especially like confrontations.

They stop for a brief second, then continue to wee and say things like "soft puppy fur" "soooo cute" "puppy breath" "wee". (They literally were weeing).

Then Luna barks. This tells me she's uncomfortable, protective, or something that she doesn't like.

I say, "Hey, you wanna stop?!"

They stop. Then go inside the restaurant and order food.

I'm annoyed that this even happened. They are GROWN women, shouldn't they know that they need to ask before petting a stranger's dog?? I guess not. I'm so frustrated that I start texting in my group text with my fellow dog lovers... One plays devil's advocate and says that most people just don't know that they shouldn't pet a random dog, that I should educate them. The others say I'm in the right to bark at her for being stupid.

Devil's Advocate is right, though. Some people just don't know. They were never taught that getting approval to pet a dog is very important and can be the difference of having a right hand and not having a right hand. So, I calm myself down and just think to myself that if someone happens to do it again, I will educate instead of getting upset.

Well, who would of thought that the next person to do it WAS THE SAME DAMN LADY! Yep, she came back and decided to put her hands through that gate again and pet Skylar. I took the moment to do something I usually just let go (for some reason I'm in a sassy mood...probably PMS).

"You know... you should ask before petting a dog that you don't know. Especially if it's through a gate like this."

She says: "Oh I knew walking up that they were sweet dogs."

NOOOOO YOU IDIOT, I think to myself... and say, "No, you never really know a nice dog from a mean dog..."

Then some other lady shooed her away, which made me think that I was arguing with a drunk lady who couldn't keep up with her other drunk cats.

So basically my PSA for today is: Never assume that a dog is friendly. ALWAYS get permission from the owner before petting a dog. Why? Because you never know if that dog will bite because they are protective, or unsure, or stressed, or afraid! Even if the dog doesn't bite, maybe the owner is trying to train them to act a certain way, and you petting them is conflicting with their training.

When in doubt, ask. It might cost you a limb....

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IS MY PUPPY DYING!?

I nearly had a heart attack today when I got home from work. I walked through my door and greeted both pups hello and took them out to go potty. When we are back in the house and the dogs start wrestling I notice that Skylar has some bumps on her lower belly. They almost look like little red pimples.

WHAT COULD THIS BE?!? I immediately think the worst: Mange, Syphilis, Psoriasis, Herpes...

My heart is pounding and I'm freaking out that she's going to die from this skin disease... MAYBR it's from her surgery she had when she got spayed! She still has a little bump that I this is scar tissue that will never fully heal. Maybe this is an infection she's having from the surgery site and it's finally coming out to the skin!

I tell Drew, worried and tears in my eyes. I text my friend, Casey (the crazy dog lady I've talked about before---I always talk to her about dog related stuff) a picture of Sky's "rash". I hesitantly do a google search of "red bumps on puppy belly"... Scared of what the results could be (since I know the only 3 things WebMD diagnoses you with is: AIDS, pregnancy, or dying, and I don't want any of that to happen to Skylar).

The following are the responses/findings of the 3 sources mentioned above:

Drew:

"I'm sure she's fine... Call the vet and see what they think... Or since they are probably closed, text Casey! Have her ask her best friend who is a professional dog trainer"

Casey:

"Is she bothered?"

Hmm... Now that she says that, Sky hasn't seemed any different at all.. Just normal puppy hyperness.

"Then, leave her alone and keep an eye on it. It's probably grass bites from the park"

She's right, I took Skylar for the first time yesterday, and she was laying in the grass a lot. Maybe it's a grass irritation.

Internet search:

Could be any of the following: puppy pyoderma, food allergy, bacterial skin infection, or mosquito bites. But since she is not itching it, licking it or bothered by it, it's probably just puppy pyoderma.

After reading more about this puppy pyoderma thing, it sounds pretty normal and nothing to be too worried about if you keep an eye on it. According to PetMD it is something only puppies get because their skin isn't fully developed or super strong yet. It happens where there is little or no hair (bellies and armpits). It is not contagious at all. Puppy pyoderma is a very mild and not scary thing.

So I can breathe again.

I'm not a bad dog mom for letting her play in the grass, it's just a natural skin infection that happens to puppies. Wow. I went from 0 to 100 and back down to 30ish pretty fast in the last hour. Phew!

If you want to read more about Puppy Pyoderma CLICK HERE!

***PUPDATE: her rash/pimples/pyoderma went away less than a week later :)

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MY OPINION on: 8 Year Old Loses Hand in Malamute Dog Bite

Maybe you've heard the story now about the 8 year old girl who stuck her hand in a back yard fence to pet an Alaskan Malamute, and then the dog bit her hand so badly that it had to be amputated later at the hospital.

Being a dog parent and animal lover, I have an opinion, just as a parent of a young child has one.

First, I would like to say that I'm saddened to hear that this young 8 year old lost her hand, AND had to go through such a traumatic situation where she will probably never trust or love another dog in her life. I can't imagine losing a hand myself, let alone watching my child live her life without a right hand. I am sorry that this situation has happened.

However, she should not have been putting her hands, arms, legs or any other part of her body through a fence to pet a dog. You NEVER pet a dog with out asking the owner first. I have been very annoyed lately with people who just walk up to my dogs, especially now with the puppy, and pet them with out asking first. (There have been some happy moments where people have asked and I've repeatedly said "thank you for asking").

I think this story would be a little different if the dog was not behind a fence in its own backyard on his own territory. And maybe he was on a leash out in public, or even roaming free off leash. But this dog was in his den! Protecting his other pack mates and himself from intruders. It doesn't make the injury less sad, it is still unfortunate.

Another thing that I foresee happening in this case, is that the reason the girl was able to get her hand through the fence was because part of the fence was broken. I can imagine the owners of the dogs (and the property) getting in trouble for not keeping their fence intact. But I still don't think that a dog should be put down for biting a child's hand.

There's been a couple variations to the story that I've read while looking at different articles including: her hand was ripped off by the dog/her hand was amputated at the hospital, there was parent supervision/there wasn't adult supervision, there were other children with her who witnessed it/she went off on her own to see the dog, etc. This happens a lot. Varying details for the same story. But really, it doesn't matter if there was parent supervision or not. The girl should've been taught to NOT pet dogs with out ask... Just like they instill "Don't get into cars with strangers with candy." I mean come on!

Yes, I'm sure there are kids that don't listen to every single thing their parents tell them, and they will get tempted and get into the car with the stranger. And they will pet the cute fluffy dog behind the broken gate. Does it mean that she deserves her injury? Of course not!!! Just like you don't blame a child for being kidnapped! But I definitely don't blame the dog for his behavior. This is the child's fault. And I don't think they should put the dog down because of it.

There you go. That's my opinion. What do you think about this??

Comment below!

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Tips on Introducing New Dog to the "Old" Dog

I hate calling them the "old" dog... They aren't necessarily old and wrinkly (though some are), they are just the dogs who were there first! Instead of calling them "old dogs" I will be calling them "firsties" throughout this post.

Luna is my firstie, and Skylar is my new addition. And like with anything new, there's going to be a lot of adjustments. So how do you get them to get along? The last thing you want is for your firstie to hate the newbie or vice versa!

When I was deciding to get another dog I was worried about how Luna would cope (and how I would too). I was sooo terribly worried that I would love Luna more than the new pup, because she is my firstie and she is perfect beyond belief. Drew and I repeatedly say that we were so lucky to have such a great dog. But would we be so lucky the second time? From what I've heard from others, you will love each dog for different reasons. They're like kids, you don't have a favorite, but you love each for different reasons.

The time came when we had to figure out how to introduce Skylar and Luna. And let me tell you, it was not unicorns and rainbows. They did not get along the moment they saw each other... Definitely NOT love at first sight. So here are some tips that I've done to help the transition:

1. First introduction: before getting another pet, make sure all you home residents meet the dog and interact with her first, before bringing her home. You want to make sure your firsties all approve. When your firsties are humans it's pretty easy to get their opinion, since they can tell you yes or no. Animals aren't as easy. So you have to read their body language, and in the end make a judgement call.

2. Second intro: make sure it's equal playing ground and no one's specific territory. Give time to smell everything. They probably won't be interested in each other for a while because they are busy taking in the new smells. This is okay! They don't need to be playing and wrestling right out of the gate (they will have plenty of time to do that later). LEASHES!

3. For me, I know how Luna gets when new people come into our home (she barks and tenses up). I've noticed that if I bring her with me to meet them outside, she tends to be less stressed when they come inside the house. So I figured it might be good to do the same with new puppy. I brought Luna out first and had the two meet and walked back into the house together.

4. Take away firstie's favorite toys. You don't want possession to happen over certain toys. I actually took away all of the toys and slowly introduced them little at a time to see what they could handle. If they couldn't handle something, then I would put it away again.

5. Give them their own space: I was told by the rescue we got Skylar from to allow a getaway for the new dog, so that if the firstie gets to rough the newbie can slip away. I'm okay with this (for beginning to introduce--first couple of days), but I also want them to be able to communicate correctly. If you allow your dogs to constantly run away, they won't learn to communicate effectively. However! I do think they need their own space sometimes to rest. Everybody needs there space at times. It gives you a break, too.

6. Attention: Make sure when you give one attention, you are also giving the other dog the SAME amount of attention. From what I've read on other advice blogs and forums and heard from friends, is that you want to give your firstie the attention first. This helps with showing the newbie that the first dog is the "alpha" of the dogs. This also is the same with treats. Same amount of treats and give your first dog treats first.

7. Alpha dog: YOU want to be the alpha, but your dogs will need a hierarchy too. One of them (probably your firstie) will be the alpha between the two. You most likely want your firstie to be the alpha because he or she will show the newbie what's right and wrong. If the newbie is the dominant one, and still isn't trained how you want, I would imagine this being a pain. Your firstie needs to establish that it is the alpha. How? From reading other blogs and articles, I learned that Luna needs to choose which toys she wants. It's okay for your dog to take the toy from the newbie (from what I understand) because it is showing the new dog that "I'm the boss and I decide which toys you can play with". However, you also don't want bullying. So I think just watch and decide on your own if how they are reacting is good or bad to you. Also, I read that the alpha will let the other dog lick them and give them kisses. It's almost like kissing the hand of royalty. Respect! That's how I see it at least.

8. Crate is your friend: like j said before it's good to have them mingle, but they also should have time apart when you are first introducing. It's a whole new thing for both dogs and you don't want to stress them out. Their safe place (the crate) is a good source to give them space and rest. I often put Skylar in her crate and let Luna roam. Mostly because Skylar still isn't potty trained, but also because I don't want Luna to feel "punished" or treated differently than she was before the new dog.

9. Food: A lot of dogs are food aggressive or food motivated or food possessive. All the reason to separate your dogs while they eat. You also don't want to leave your dogs food out so they can graze. Luna used to be a grazer, but after getting another dog she's been on scheduled feeding. I feed nth dogs in their crates. Their space, their food. I don't keep the food in their crates the whole day though. They get about 15 minutes to eat their food in the morning and at night. If they don't eat it all, I put it up where they can't get it. You don't want aggression over food to happen with your dogs. Separate to be safe. Luna has been covering her food with her blanket when she doesn't finish it. This is similar to burying a bone. They are hiding it from other dogs or animals, so they can enjoy it later when they are hungry. When she starts burying her food with the blanket I take it out and put her food away.

10. Time away from each other (similar to 5). Luna acted like she aged 5 years when we got Skylar. All she wanted to do was sleep and be away from the new puppy. It was worrying me. She just looked so sad. So I decided to have a mommy-Luna date. I took her to the dog park (one of her favorite past times) and immediately she was thrilled. She was still socializing with other dogs, but she had separation from Skylar. After that she really started to open up around Skylar.


Do you have any more tips for people who are trying to introduce new dogs? Comment below!

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Giveaway: Custom Pet Ornament from Dog Doodlez

Dog Doodlez (my side business) has a new custom pet portrait product—HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS! They are $30 value, but if you have an Instagram account you can enter to win a custom ornament!

To enter:
- Follow @dogdoodlez on IG
- Repost the giveaway photo on your IG profile
- Tag @dogdoodlez and use #dogdoodlezgiveaway

Must be a U.S. resident.

If you want to purchase this, go to www.dogdoodlez.com

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I've Jinxed Everything....

I gotta keep my mouth shut from now on. No more premature assumptions or exclamations that my new puppy, Skylar, has overpasses every puppy obstacle in the books. Last week, I was so excited because I thought Skylar was potty trained and going where she was supposed to be 95% of the time. I was so excited I expressed my proudness in my new pup on Facebook. FOR ALL TO SEE! Was I bragging? Maybe a little. I mean I only had her for a couple days at that point so I was thrilled! Well, a couple hours later she peed on the floor of our apartment 3 times in a row... THREE "BAD POTTY's" IN A ROW.... Right after publicly profisizing how glorious my dog was. So naturally... I took to my Facebook status again... "I take back what I said... Skylar is NOT potty trained". Just pure humiliation. AND I got more likes on that status than the one before! Clearly, public failure is more liked on social media than publicisizing your successes.

We've seriously been messing up with potty training. I remember it being so easy and short lived with Luna. It was like we spoke the same language. This Skylar girl is not on the same brain waves as me, clearly. Drew keeps trying to convince me that I'm crazy and that Luna wasn't fully potty trained until she was 6 months old! WHAT?! Impossible! I'm a better dog trainer than 6 months of failed attempts of getting my dog to pee on the grass, and poop on the wood shavings (makes it much easier to pick up). After trying to prove him wrong, Drew says that I have unreasonable expectations for a puppy we just got. That is true. He wins. More potty training struggles in an upcoming post...

So I've accepted that she's not 100% potty trained. Whatever, if Drew's timeline is in fact correct, I suppose I'm not a complete dog mom failure. At least she's pretty much sleeping through the night. We decided to keep her in her crate at night (especially since she is not potty trained). Luna isn't crated at night, because she never has been and I've read that you don't want to change your first dog's habits when you get a new dog. So Skylar gets to sleep in her crate, and Luna on our bed. Skylar whines a couple minutes after being in her crate but then falls asleep. She sleeps great in the crate. Only wakes up once at 5:30 to go potty, which isn't too bad. I remember waking up 3 times in the middle of the night with Luna. So again I start telling coworkers that yeah she's peeing everywhere but at least she's sleeping through the night! ....But what's the title of this blog post again? That's right... I freaking jinxed it again! The next night she woke up at 4am, I tried to ignore her for what seemed like 30 min but she started barking and whining at the same time! I resentfully got up and took her out so she could drain her dime sized bladder. Then an hour later she started crying again, but I really ignored her that time. She fell back to sleep. THEN AN HOUR LATER AGAIN, she woke up. By this time it was about 6:30am and about 30 mins before I usually get up and get ready for the day so I caved and let her out again. So, no... Not sleeping through the night as I thought she was.

Then again, I try to look at the silver lining - at least she's not going potty IN her crate. I say this again to my coworkers. And since I'm aware of my jinxing the last two times, I knock on wood. My one coworker reassures me that dogs hardly ever pee in their crates cus that's their bed, and they don't like peeing where they sleep. I already knew this, but I also knew the power of my jinxing lately, which is why I superstitiously knocked on my wooden desk (which actually isn't wood, but that cheap fake Ikea wood). I get home from work and the pups are in their crates and I see Skylar. Oh, sweet Skylar. Her fur looks wet. Hmm... That's weird to me. Then light bulb on in my head... SHE PEED IN HER CRATE! I mean of course she did. Because whenever I try to give her credit for being a decent puppy, she goes and does the exact opposite of what I say she's improving on. I throw the pee soaked wiggly butt in the shower. I feel bad. The poor pup has been a victim of my sorcery and jinxing, and now she's been sitting in her own filth for who knows how long (well I know less than 4 hours since I checked on her at lunch).

So I've taken an oath to myself that I will no longer talk about the progression of Skylar's training and ability as above the puppy curve. I will only say how I'm trying to train and how she's reacting. No "Slylar's the best puppy in the world and can do triple back flips". She's a puppy, and it's like Drew says, my expectations are unreasonable. And there you have it, I'm officially relearning everything I did when Luna was a pup. Oh the joys. As much as this stage sucks, I do not regret a single second of getting Skylar. Drew thinks I'm having my second thoughts, but I couldn't be happier. I love my two dogs, even if they are covered in pee when I get home.

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Preparing For A Dog Is Like Preparing For A Baby

Getting a second dog is a whole lot of fun and cuteness, especially when you get a puppy. But there are a couple of adjustments for your new dog, your previous furbaby, and even on yourself (and spouses and children if you have them).

It's not like you can just go to the mall and on your way to Macy's you see an adorable pup at the pet store and instantly impulse buy the dog. Dogs are NOT impulse buying products. Save that for ice cream when you're grocery shopping. Trust me, you'll be better off with the ice cream if you haven't done your research on getting a dog.

There's a lot of research you should do before getting a dog. A lot of it should be breed specific: what are good types of dogs for apartments, what breeds are easily potty trainable, what breeds are good with kids, etc. But you also want to research about how to prepare yourself for the new addition.

When I decided that we were going to get another pup, I had to plan a lot of things ahead of time. The last thing I wanted to do was bring home a pup and not know where it was going to sleep at night: the crate or the bed? Obviously you can't break down every possible scenario and have a perfect solution for every obstacle. But you can try to come up with some things before hand.

Here's a list of things to do to prepare for a new furbaby:

• Purchase all the goodies: food, food container, crates, bowls, toys, chews, collar, leash (probably multiple), tag, flea and tick prevention, cone, blanket,  potty pads, bed, squirt bottle, pinch collar (or type of walking corrector), lots of cleaning supplies, assortment of treats
• Figure out where the dog is going to sleep at night
• If you have another pet, find out what is going to be different for them: for us, Luna would be going from eating whenever she feels like to scheduled feeding times. Also things to think about is their areas level. How are you going to make sure that they have their own space when they need it?
• If you have kids: talk to them about appropriate behaviors around the new addition, including if they can give treats, if they can walk the dog, etc.
• Come up with command words for different instructions and let your significant other or roommates know them. The key to training a dog is consistency. You want to make sure that everyone is saying "OFF" if you want the dog to get off the furniture. If someone uses "DOWN" the dog will get confused as to which command is correct.
• Figure out a schedule for everything! Feeding, peeing, drinking, potty, nighttime, playtime, nap time, etc. Again, consistency is key.
• If you are renting, you better make sure your landlord is aware.
• Dog proof everything! Cords, books, magazines, socks, shoes, electronics, TV remotes, etc. are puppies favorite chews. Put everything up or away so your addition won't ruin your favorite things. 
• Make a vet appointment. You're probably going to want to have the vet check to make sure there's nothing weird going on with your dog. I brought Skylar to the vet a couple days after having her home so if I had questions I could ask the vet. I also wanted to establish a relationship with a vet at a time where (hopefully) everyone is healthy

As you can see, a lot goes into getting a puppy. And that's just the planning part! Think of what it's gonna be like when you actually have him/her! Pets are for life, and never get a dog if you aren't sure if you will keep them forever. They are like kids. Would you return your kid to the hospital you delivered them at because he/she was coloring on your walls? No!

Dogs are a lot like having kids (or so I would assume...I don't have any of my own, but what I hear is that dogs can prepare you for parenthood.) And preparing for a dog is just like preparing for a baby! Planning, buying, preparing, and training. You might as well have a puppy baby shower too! Haha... But seriously if you are planning a puppy shower, please tell me, I'd love to be the event planner for that party. 

That's my list. If you have any other good preparation tips leave a comment below!

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