The Woes of Potty Training

Hi, everyone. I'm Calvin, the latest foster. Since I hung around a little longer than Chester -- and need a lot more training than he did -- I get a chance to guest star on the blog. That's me above. I'm pretty cute, so if you're looking to adopt a potty trained puppy, let us know. I'll make a great companion.

In case you're wondering what such a young pup would have to say, let me get to the point. I just made it through my first day without having an accident in the house! This is a big deal because I was a pain to potty train, especially compared to this Muggsy my foster mommy keeps blubbering about, apparently.

First of all, Foster Mom tried to follow all the rules. She put me in a small area while she was gone with only a potty pad, a bowl of water, some toys and a place to sleep. She took me out every half hour and left me in this area when she was gone. However, there were a couple of problems with her paint-by-numbers strategy. 1. I hated being in a crate and would cry, cry, cry. 2. I run through my mess rather than avoiding it as this Muggsy did.

But that's the exciting part about dog training. Not every method works for every dog. So sometimes, you have to do some modifying. After her third day of scrubbing poopy footprints off every inch of her bathroom floor, Foster Mom did just that. Her first order of action was to leash me and lead me out the doggie door every time I started to sniff. This is pretty standard, but Dad liked to carry me, and that had to end. Of course, I got rewarded each time I went. When I didn't go, I would get leashed to the couch rather than put in the crate. This reduced the crying. She had to spend some time teaching me independence before really cracking down. This consisted of a few minutes spent in other rooms with doors closed and putting me on a bed near her rather than the couch. Just a few minor changes can really make a difference. Now I can even lie in my crate for a few minutes without panicking. I've even fallen asleep in there!

The other change she made was to break her cardinal rule and give me more freedom. She put me in the living room with all the doors closed, way too much area for most puppies. However, I don't chew things up and I seek comfort in the other dogs. This immediately stopped the panic elimination and allowed me to focus on getting outside in the right time. She still put down potty pads in the spots I commonly relieved myself, but I only needed those for a few days.

Finally, when she was home, I started getting a little more independence. I would get more rewards when I would go out the doggie door without prompting than when she had to take me out herself. It wasn't much independence because she would still follow me everywhere, but if I ran to the doggie door, she would just wait to see what happened. A couple of times, I tried to go right in front of the door, but she would rush over and push me out, just to reiterate her point. Humans get so panicked when you go in the wrong area. I just wasn't sure how far out the door I needed to go. Geez.

Anyway, I finally made it! Potty trained! Of course, my new owner will have to teach me the rules in their place, too. I'm not a mind reader. But I'm off to a great start. And Foster Mom got a good lesson, too, because she remembered that sometimes to be an effective trainer, you have to break the rules a little.

Love, Calvin

What to Do About the Dog Who Wants to Do Nothing

As much as I picked on Muggsy, I loved him very much. He was there, hating me, from the moment I crawled under Chris' car, and he was with me almost every moment of every day for the next nine years. I'm just not sure what to do without him. So mostly, I just sleep. I have lost my energy, though I have certainly not lost the ability to eat, which would greatly worry my momma.

A change in energy level is one of the signs of canine depression. Many experts now recognize this as a legitimate illness, though there is still some debate since humans can't talk to dogs and tend to project their emotions onto us. Other signs include change in appetite and changes in behavior, such as unusual aggression or destructive behavior. Many of these symptoms can also be caused by health problems, so you should first get your dog checked out at the vet. Problems like arthritis can make your dog less active, which can appear to be depression. In my case, it appeared the day Muggsy didn't come home and has stuck around. According to some experts, canine mourning should clear up in six weeks; however, it can last up to six months. It's been 11 weeks since we lost Muggsy, but he was a pretty awesome dog (not as awesome as me, but still).

So what do you do when your dog is depressed? Find whatever it is that still make your dog happy and do that more often. If it's car rides, take him for a car ride each day. Keep your dog active. Dogs generally like walks and play dates, so find time to do things with your dog. Many sites warn not to lavish your dog with love and treats while they are depressed because this will cause your dog to believe you are rewarding them for the depression and continue to feel this way. My mom thinks this is ridiculous. Your dog can't control its emotional state anymore than you can. If your dog is cheered by lavish love, love him up! Your dog may learn that lying around causes you to reward him and show that behavior when he is cheered up, but it won't affect depression in one way or another. However, you definitely do want to reward your dog more for happy behavior, so he understands which behaviors make you most happy.

What has my mom done? More walks. Longer walks. Special bouts of running wildly through the park. She bought me a special toy to carry around. I love stuffed birds! It's the only toy I like. More play dates. With Muggsy, we never went to play dates. Now we frequently do, even though Fenway and I usually just sniff the yard and lay down next to Mom. She also bought me interactive toys, which come out every evening to get me excited about playing. She also lavishes me with extra love and surprises me with treats for no reason, but don't tell those other dog trainers!

As time goes on, I'm sure my mom and I will both learn how to live our lives without Muggsy. But right now, we both have to try extra hard to do things to cheer up. If your dog or cat is suffering from grief, be sure to do all you can to help them cheer up as well.

Love, Chubbs

K9 Cancer Walk

Our entire family will be walking in the K9 Cancer Walk, sponsored by the Morris Animal Foundation, in San Diego Feb. 18. As our fundraising page is lacking, it doesn't allow us to provide more than one photo. But that doesn't do justice to our cause.

As we began this fundraising effort, we found that many of our friends have also been touched by dogs who have been lost to cancer. The beagle with the beautiful smile below is Blaze. I dare you not to smile when looking at him! He was owned by my friends, Chris and Ashley Borniger, and was so loved that they were the first to donate to our cause. I can still remember his adorable old man bark and all the stories Chris told of the beagle who could eat anything! We miss you, Blaze!

My friend, Lindsay Jones, lost her first dog as an adult to cancer last year as well. Her name is Lucy, and according to Lindsay, in her couple of months in her new home, chewed up two cell phones and three digital cable remotes! But she went on to become Lindsay's best friend, and

she is missed every day. We miss you, Lucy!

A few days after Muggsy passed, I received a wonderful email from one of my very favorite cousins, telling me that he had recently lost his beloved pet, our second Lucy, to bone cancer. The doctors thought she had a torn muscle and postponed treatment too long. Just like Muggsy, Lucy was my cousin's first pet as an adult, and as you can see from the picture below, she was a sweet, loving friend.

While this is officially a K9 Cancer Walk, we hope that strides made in curing canine cancer will help with feline cancer as well. We are friendly to all in the animal kingdom, and just this week my dear friend Karin lost her beloved cat, Kayla, to a mass in her lungs that was likely cancer. As with Muggsy, Kayla didn't live to hear her diagnosis, but she was a sweet, loving cat who survived crazy cat roommates and stood by Karin through a couple of major life changes. We will miss you, Kayla!

Toby was a favorite around our house as he and Chubbs often sympathized over what it was like to have a sibling who wasn't that fond of them. He was one of the nicest dogs you'll ever meet, eager to greet and please everyone. He was taken from us quite recently and suddenly as a result of liver cancer. We miss you, Toby, and will be proud to walk in your honor. (Toby is the golden closest to the camera!)

Like Muggsy, Charlie Brown died five months after his 10th birthday. For reasons that are currently unknown to us but are being researched thanks to funding from our K9 Cancer Walk, goldens are very susceptible to cancer. Charlie Brown died suddenly, leaving his owners devastated at the loss of such a sweet, loving friend. He is still missed, two years after his death.

Now, we are walking for Muggsy, Blaze, Lucy, Lucy, Kayla, Toby, Charlie Brown and Scotty, who isn't pictured but was so loved that his owner still talks about him and yearns for a Scottie a decade later. I hope we can make enough money to improve diagnostic tools and treatment so fewer owners lose their beloved dogs before their time. To donate, visit http://support.morrisanimalfoundation.org/site/TR/Events/CCC?px=1085188&pg=personal&fr_id=1190. Thank you!

Love, Robby, Melinda, Chubbs and Fenway