Ever since my puppies jumped through a burglar proofed window into the bedroom, dragged medication from the side table and scattered tablets all over the garden, I have been vigilant.
I always keep medication locked away in a cupboard and keep the door closed. The windows are kept slightly ajar, never fully open.
The other day, I renewed the prescription. I returned home and placed everything on the bedroom side table reminding myself to put it away as soon as possible. I closed the bedroom door.
It had been a tiring day and I ended up dozing off on my couch only to be woken at about 5.30pm by the ringing telephone. I staggered up in a dazed state to find medication pills scattered all over the carpet.
Heart rate spike!
Jamie and Jemma had chewed three different containers of medicine!
Trying to keep my dogs at bay, I desperately counted every single pill. I had to find out how many were missing.
I established that 3.5 sleeping pills had disappeared. But had they been swallowed by Jamie or Jemma? Neither of them were showing any side effects yet so I decided to feed them at 6.10pm.
Then Jamie began acting strangely almost as if he was hallucinating. Tail between his legs, he began barking at a piece of plastic on the carpet and then at the pink glitter on my sandals and non-existent things in the garden.
By 6.15pm I was on the phone to the vet. They wanted to know details about the make, dosage and ingredients of the pills. Well Jamie or Jemma had destroyed the box. So I had to scrabble through my cupboard to find an old box. Then scrabble through my handbag to find glasses because the print was too small to read.
In the middle of all of this, I was trying to corner Jamie so that I could observe him and describe his symptoms the the veterinary nurse. Thank goodness because I observed him vomiting up his supper and hopefully some of the drug. The nurse said she would consult a vet and get back to me.
When the vet called back, I went through the whole story again. I remember her saying that it takes 40 minutes for a drug to be absorbed and that it was a good sign that Jamie had vomited. She would research the drug and the dosage I assumed he had swallowed. If she felt the situation was dangerous, she would phone me back to bring him in. But if she did not get back to me that meant I was not to worry. In the meantime I was to keep an eye on him.
So what was I supposed to look out for? Well the drug would affect his central nervous system so if he continued vomiting, had diarrhea, became drowsy and disorientated - that meant trouble.
Well, I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the vet to phone but she did not call back.
Jamie appeared OK for the rest of the evening, but I did check him several times during the night to make sure he was still breathing!
I also discovered that not only had I forgotten to put the drugs away in my cupboard but I had forgotten to close my bedroom door. When I eventually returned the phone call that had woke me up, I had to do quite a bit of explaining.
The moral of the story - If you suffer from short term memory loss, do everything important immediately and make lists all the time. And you can never stop dog proofing your house no matter how old your dogs!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
My attack of Separation Anxiety!
I went to the Berg for a week to celebrate a family event. Unfortunately (like so many places) we were all booked into a non pet-friendly place. I was faced with a dilemma. What was I going to do with my babies for a week?
I did have the option of sending them to a great kennel, but finally decided on a house sitter who would stay overnight and with whom they were very familiar. But she worked during the day. So Jamie and Jemma were going to be home alone for a whole week (at least from 6.30am to 5.30pm).
I remember going on a hike in the Berg (beautiful!) and suddenly having a panic attack about my dogs. What if something went wrong! What if there was an emergency and they had to be rushed to the vet! What if my house sitter discovered this too late! Who would I call to get my dog to a vet asap!
I suddenly realised that I was working myself up into a crazy, negative state over something that might never happen. I spent the rest of the walk thinking positive thoughts about my dogs and trying to calm myself.
When I returned home, all was absolutely fine. My house sitter said that Jamie and Jemma had behaved well (except for stealing her underwear). They seemed none the worse for our week long separation. They say dogs have no concept of time (but I am not sure if that is a proven fact).
But what a relief to know that we can all survive being separated!
I did have the option of sending them to a great kennel, but finally decided on a house sitter who would stay overnight and with whom they were very familiar. But she worked during the day. So Jamie and Jemma were going to be home alone for a whole week (at least from 6.30am to 5.30pm).
I remember going on a hike in the Berg (beautiful!) and suddenly having a panic attack about my dogs. What if something went wrong! What if there was an emergency and they had to be rushed to the vet! What if my house sitter discovered this too late! Who would I call to get my dog to a vet asap!
I suddenly realised that I was working myself up into a crazy, negative state over something that might never happen. I spent the rest of the walk thinking positive thoughts about my dogs and trying to calm myself.
When I returned home, all was absolutely fine. My house sitter said that Jamie and Jemma had behaved well (except for stealing her underwear). They seemed none the worse for our week long separation. They say dogs have no concept of time (but I am not sure if that is a proven fact).
But what a relief to know that we can all survive being separated!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The problem with short term memory loss...
Who would have thought being a Puppy Instructor trainee could be so challenging?
I thought having two puppies was tiring. Try dealing with about 20 puppies all wanting to play non stop. Their owners are still learning how to "recall" their beloved munchkins so when it comes to putting all pups back on their leads, let's just say it gets very noisy. Pups have the attention span of a gnat so getting them to come when called is very challenging especially if they don't yet recognise their own name!
Last Saturday we had three classes in a row. I was meeting everybody for the first time.
Now I am one of those people who when confronted with a big group of people for the first time, have difficulty remembering everyone's name. People are very flattered when you do remember their name but slightly insulted if you don't.
At Puppy School you have to remember each owner's name (and the rest of the family who come to watch), their puppy's name and its sex. If you multiply this by 20, you have at least 60 variables to remember. Not good if you suffer from short term memory loss!
Someone gave me a sneaky tip. Just surreptiously fondle the puppy's underside while talking to the owner and this should give you a good idea of the sex. At least you can get that right while you try to remember his or her name. Last week there was quite a parade of names from Snoekie, Storm, Milaika, Bear, Dube, Zoey, Yusef to Gun. Shew!
Short of writing names on the palm of my hand, I am going to need to get some magic muti to boost my memory cells.
I thought having two puppies was tiring. Try dealing with about 20 puppies all wanting to play non stop. Their owners are still learning how to "recall" their beloved munchkins so when it comes to putting all pups back on their leads, let's just say it gets very noisy. Pups have the attention span of a gnat so getting them to come when called is very challenging especially if they don't yet recognise their own name!
Last Saturday we had three classes in a row. I was meeting everybody for the first time.
Now I am one of those people who when confronted with a big group of people for the first time, have difficulty remembering everyone's name. People are very flattered when you do remember their name but slightly insulted if you don't.
At Puppy School you have to remember each owner's name (and the rest of the family who come to watch), their puppy's name and its sex. If you multiply this by 20, you have at least 60 variables to remember. Not good if you suffer from short term memory loss!
Someone gave me a sneaky tip. Just surreptiously fondle the puppy's underside while talking to the owner and this should give you a good idea of the sex. At least you can get that right while you try to remember his or her name. Last week there was quite a parade of names from Snoekie, Storm, Milaika, Bear, Dube, Zoey, Yusef to Gun. Shew!
Short of writing names on the palm of my hand, I am going to need to get some magic muti to boost my memory cells.
A solution to my Beagle Battle Blues!
Behaviourist, Karin Landsberg of ThinkingPets sent me this great advice about how to tackle the Battle of the Kingdom of the Couch:
Of course, a compromise can be reached - what about designating one couch with a distinctive cover over it as the 'doggy couch?'. This way, the Beagles can do their thing without all your couches needing covers or constant management.
Easy to teach - if they approach the wrong couch, give a no reward signal, and guide them to the correct couch. Encourage them on to that one, then give a settle cue and let them chill out there. You don't really even need treats as the comfortable lying down will be its own reward.
Thanks Karin for the great advice. Now to implement it!
(P.S. A no-reward signal is not shouting or smacking the perpetrator, but a calm verbal command like uh-uh or if you want to add some South African flavour - sies tog!)
Of course, a compromise can be reached - what about designating one couch with a distinctive cover over it as the 'doggy couch?'. This way, the Beagles can do their thing without all your couches needing covers or constant management.
Easy to teach - if they approach the wrong couch, give a no reward signal, and guide them to the correct couch. Encourage them on to that one, then give a settle cue and let them chill out there. You don't really even need treats as the comfortable lying down will be its own reward.
Thanks Karin for the great advice. Now to implement it!
(P.S. A no-reward signal is not shouting or smacking the perpetrator, but a calm verbal command like uh-uh or if you want to add some South African flavour - sies tog!)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Battle I have lost...
There is one battle with my dogs that I have failed to win. That is preventing them thinking that couches are far more comfortable than the floor.
I have spent almost 18 months fighting this battle. I put obstacles on the couches in my lounge with the aim of discouraging Jamie and Jemma from making themselves at home on my furniture, but to no avail.
Now the behaviourists say that to change a dog's behaviour you have to be absolutely consistent and catch them in the act each and every time. I admit this did not always happen. They are very good at taking the gap when your guard is down.
You also have to give them an alternative behaviour like lying on a nice warm blanket in front of the fire or an extra tasty treat for staying on the floor. I tried this but they still preferred the couch.
In fact I tried everything including shouting and shutting them out of the lounge (Shouting is not OK but time-out for very short periods is OK).
But the truth be told it became too exhausting spending every night in constant battle for the kingdom of the couch.
It also showed me how strong the imprinting period is during the first 4 months of a puppy's life.
Jemma was born in a home where all the beagles had a room filled with old couches and comfy chairs on which they slept. So she grew up seeing her elders ensconced in comfort and believes that this is her right in life. Nothing I have done so far has changed her mind and now Jamie thinks if Jemma can do it, so can I.
So 18 months down the line, I have decided if you can't beat them, join them. I have put a protective cover over one of the couches which all three of us share (with me squashed in the middle). The other two couches have their cushions up ended to discourage any deviant behaviour. It does not look pretty and offends my sense of order. But rather that than endless squabbling with my dogs.
I could have opted to permanently shut them out of the lounge altogether. But that defeats the purpose of why I got them in the first place - to enjoy their company.
However I have drawn the line at the bedroom. I know Jemma loves beds, but no one is allowed in there even if it means keeping the door permanently closed day and night. In fact I still have to keep all the doors in my house closed because one little slip and I still find things disappearing and shredded all over the garden.
My Dad sent me an article about keeping fresh air circulating through your home to keep it hygienic and clean as opposed to stale and yuk.
Huh! Wonder if I will ever get to do that?
I have spent almost 18 months fighting this battle. I put obstacles on the couches in my lounge with the aim of discouraging Jamie and Jemma from making themselves at home on my furniture, but to no avail.
Now the behaviourists say that to change a dog's behaviour you have to be absolutely consistent and catch them in the act each and every time. I admit this did not always happen. They are very good at taking the gap when your guard is down.
You also have to give them an alternative behaviour like lying on a nice warm blanket in front of the fire or an extra tasty treat for staying on the floor. I tried this but they still preferred the couch.
In fact I tried everything including shouting and shutting them out of the lounge (Shouting is not OK but time-out for very short periods is OK).
But the truth be told it became too exhausting spending every night in constant battle for the kingdom of the couch.
It also showed me how strong the imprinting period is during the first 4 months of a puppy's life.
Jemma was born in a home where all the beagles had a room filled with old couches and comfy chairs on which they slept. So she grew up seeing her elders ensconced in comfort and believes that this is her right in life. Nothing I have done so far has changed her mind and now Jamie thinks if Jemma can do it, so can I.
So 18 months down the line, I have decided if you can't beat them, join them. I have put a protective cover over one of the couches which all three of us share (with me squashed in the middle). The other two couches have their cushions up ended to discourage any deviant behaviour. It does not look pretty and offends my sense of order. But rather that than endless squabbling with my dogs.
I could have opted to permanently shut them out of the lounge altogether. But that defeats the purpose of why I got them in the first place - to enjoy their company.
However I have drawn the line at the bedroom. I know Jemma loves beds, but no one is allowed in there even if it means keeping the door permanently closed day and night. In fact I still have to keep all the doors in my house closed because one little slip and I still find things disappearing and shredded all over the garden.
My Dad sent me an article about keeping fresh air circulating through your home to keep it hygienic and clean as opposed to stale and yuk.
Huh! Wonder if I will ever get to do that?
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